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March 19 2010

kerim
21:30

Ban Distorting Chart Types, aka Why You Should Be Wary of Pyramid Charts [Data Visualization]

Ban Distorting Chart Types, aka Why You Should Be Wary of Pyramid ChartsThree-dimensional charts may be a little more eye-catching and dynamic than their 2-D counterparts (it's an Avatar world, baby), but data visualization blogger Stubborn Mule explains why you should consider junking 3-D charts, or at least why you shouldn't trust pyramid charts.

The author points out how people (and publications, for that matter) often incorrectly employ pyramid charts to produce an inaccurate representation of the information, focusing in on this chart and why its use of the pyramid chart misses the mark:

The problem is that the data is represented by the height of each segment of the pyramid, but we tend to perceive the apparent volume of each layer. As a result, the layers near the top appear much smaller that they should relative to the lower layers.

The author goes even further, suggesting casual charters drop not just the pyramid chart, but 3-D charts altogether:

I would argue that everything below "2-D Column" [in Excel] should be banned from the arsenal of the thinking chart-user. These variants on three-dimensional graphics all represent the trap "chart junk": fancy extra details that, at best, add nothing to the information being conveyed and, at worst, result in distortion.

It's a good piece of advice to keep in mind next time you're putting together or consuming a chart. How about you, data visualizers and chart junkies? Let's hear whether or not you share the disdain for 3-D charting in the comments.

Tags: data visualization Charts Excel Graphics Spreadsheets Visualization

December 18 2009

kerim
18:41

Google Browser Size

Google Browser Size is an experimental service that shows if a web page has interface elements that can't be viewed by a significant amount of people. "Google Browser Size is a visualization of browser window sizes for people who visit Google. For example, the 90% contour means that 90% of people visiting Google have their browser window open to at least this size or larger."

The service can be used for any web page, but the data is obtained from the visitors of google.com. As you can see from the screenshot, Google's top result can be viewed by more than 99% of the visitors if no ad is displayed above the results.


Google Browser Size is one of the many Google tools that help you optimize web sites:

* Google Website Optimizer - testing and optimization tool
* Google Analytics - web analytics
* Google Webmaster Tools - site performance, crawl errors, top search queries
* Page Speed - an open-source Firebug add-on that helps you evaluate the performance of a web page.
* Speed Tracer - a Chrome extension that helps you fix performance problems in your web applications.
* Closure Compiler - a tool for making JavaScript download and run faster.
* "Let's make the web faster" tutorials.

{ Thanks, Kevin. }
Tags: Webmasters Visualization
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