Data Visualization in Environmental Public Health: From Data to Insight
APPENDIX A: PITFALL EXAMPLES
Using the Wrong Visualization Type
How to Make It Better Consider a bar or line chart with months displayed in chronological order. • Add data labels for exact values and use brief annotations to highlight important findings, such as the highest and lowest compliance rates. • A short takeaway statement can also help the audience quickly understand the overall pattern.
What’s Wrong with This Visual? A pie chart shows how individual parts contribute to a meaningful whole. This visual uses a pie chart for monthly compliance rates, which are separate measures rather than parts of a total. • Monthly comparisons are difficult. Similar-sized slices make differences between rates hard to see. • The time trend is obscured. A circular layout makes it difficult to see how compliance changes from month to month. • The key findings are not obvious. Viewers must examine individual labels to identify the highest, lowest, or changing rates.
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