Data Visualization for Pondering vs. Glancing

Last spring, I wrote about the concept of exploratory vs. explanatory data visualization. I talked about how you shouldn’t just dump a mound of data on your audience and call it a day; you should help your audience understand a graph by having a point and only showing data to support that point.

But how specific does that point have to be? And how much data is “necessary”? Like so many things in life…amount of chocolate acceptable for consumption in one sitting, for example…there’s a range. You generally want to avoid the extremes, but there are multiple valid options in the middle.

I like to think of the middle area of the dataviz range having two zones: pondering and glancing.

Pondering Graphs

Number of data points: many

Number of insights: many

Use cases: comprehensive reports, discussion handouts, web, coffee table books*

Side of the dataviz spectrum: exploratory

Now, I love a complex-yet-well-designed data visualization. Some  examples that come to mind are from the New York Times dataviz team, including their animated COVID map and their bubble chart of 2020 ballot-counting.

These charts make me feel like a treasure hunter.** There are many cool insights hiding out; I just need to have the time, patience, and understanding to find them.

That being said, there are lots of reasons why pondering graphs might not be the best choice:

• The audience has limited time.
• The audience has limited motivation.
• The point you want to make is so important that you need every audience member to “get” it.
• You’re using a medium where small print and fine detail will be illegible.

Enter: the glancing graph.

Glancing Graphs

Number of data points: few

Number of insights: 1

Use cases: presentation slides, executive summaries, infographics, social media, posters, outdoor advertising

Side of the dataviz spectrum: explanatory

Here’s an example of a glancing graph:

Sure, it may not be fancy, but it conveys a single key point in a couple of seconds.

Need help deciding whether a pondering or glancing graph is right for your communication product? Data Soapbox would love to help! Contact us here.

*Some of my favorites include Flip Flop Fly Ball, Atlas of the Invisible, and Am I Overthinking This?

**Or like I’m playing #FindThatLizard.