Data visualization is all about making what’s invisible or not-immediately-perceptible in the outside world visible and clear. You can’t see the range and strength of your clients’ feelings about the programs you offer, but you can show them on a chart. You can’t see the impact of air pollution across thousands of miles from where you stand, but you can see it on a map. In both of these examples, data visualizations show the presence of something. Can they also show the absence of something? And when is nothing something you really should show?
In last week’s data tip, I shared this cartoon which I love because it makes the absence of something — COVID cases averted by individual actions — perceptible with gray lines and dots. That got me thinking about how we visualize the absence of things in charts, maps, and graphs.
See animated version of the cartoon here.
A common problem in almost any endeavor involving data is “missing data.” This is data that was not collected because, for example, a respondent skipped a survey question or someone did not fill in a data field in a database. And often missing data is eliminated from charts, maps, and graphs. We don’t show what we don’t know. But that can be a mistake, especially when the majority of data is missing such as in this pie chart. By showing the amount of unknown and missing values, it emphasizes the need for better data collection so that we can understand which groups are most affected.
source: WBUR
These maps (from March 2020) stress the absence of certain policies rather than the presence of them.
source: Politico
The colors gray or white often are used to signify the absence of something. But this chart uses green to draw your attention to the times when NONE of Britain’s power was generated by coal, presumably helping to make for a greener environment.
source: The Guardian
Zero points on axes also help to show the absence of something. This chart emphasizes the point on the X-axis representing no bias with a red line.
source: The Economist
Consider what absences may be instructive to your staff, board members, funders, clients, or participants. Perhaps it’s the absence of data or the absence of revenue or the absence of problems following an intervention or the absence of essential services in a community. Remember showing nothing can be just as enlightening as showing something.
To see past data tips, including those about other chart types, click HERE.
Let’s talk about YOUR data!
Got the feeling that you and your colleagues would use your data more effectively if you could see it better? Data Viz for Nonprofits (DVN) can help you get the ball rolling with an interactive data dashboard and beautiful charts, maps, and graphs for your next presentation, report, proposal, or webpage. Through a short-term consultation, we can help you to clarify the questions you want to answer and goals you want to track. DVN then visualizes your data to address those questions and track those goals.