We love lists, listicles, and rankings in particular, because they make assessment easier. We hate information overload. Ranked lists show us what information is most important and so ease decision-making.
We are more likely to remember items at the top and bottom of the lists and forget the items in the middle. So shorter lists are easier to retain.
People also BELIEVE shorter lists more than longer ones.
3 Ways to Visualize Rankings
Bar Charts (like the one above)
Rank Charts (which are good for showing how ranking changes over time)
Stacked Bar Charts (scroll down to see the mother of all stacked bar charts showing the top 100 colleges by diversity)
For more on the power of rankings, check out this podcast from the Kellogg School Of Management At Northwestern University. And here is the full version of the viz shown above:
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.