Foundations | Module 1 - Introduction to Data Visualization (Mod. 1)

Question 1

How can one define visualisation?

Answer 1

Communication of information through graphical representation to amplify cognition

Note: This combines references from Ward et. al. and Kard, Mackinlay & Scheiderman (1999)

Question 2

What is the lesson we take from Anscombe’s quartet?

Answer 2

Traditional descriptive statistics may not be sufficient to understand data.

All four sets have identical statistical parameters, but the graphs show them to be considerably different.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anscombe%27s_quartet

Question 3

Which of the following visualization techniques is most appropriate for displaying hierarchical data, where the goal is to represent parent-child relationships and the structure of categories?

1. Bubble charts
2. Tree maps
3. Scatter plots
4. Line graphs

Answer 3

Tree maps
Tree maps are specifically designed to visualize hierarchical data by nesting rectangles within one another. This layout clearly reflects parent-child relationships and can also represent additional dimensions of data using color and size, making it effective for displaying complex hierarchies.

Question 4

Which statement best describes the defining trait of ordinal data when used in data visualization?

1. It follows a logical sequence or rank.
2. It is only used with bar charts.
3. It has no inherent order.
4. It must be numeric.

Answer 4

It follows a logical sequence or rank.
Ordinal data has a meaningful order or ranking (like satisfaction levels or survey responses), but the difference between the ranks isn’t necessarily uniform. This trait makes it essential to use visualizations that highlight the ranking, such as bar or line charts.

Question 5

When designing a data dashboard, which of the following practices is most critical to ensuring that the dashboard is intuitive, effective, and user-friendly?

1. Maximizing information density
2. Minimizing cognitive load
3. Ensuring data accuracy
4. Using as many colors as possible

Answer 5

Minimizing cognitive load
Minimizing cognitive load is critical for creating a dashboard that users can navigate easily. By reducing unnecessary distractions and ensuring the most important data is prominent, you help users make faster, more informed decisions without mental fatigue.