Lecture Materials for Week 2
September 1, 2025
Labor day (no lecture)
Extra lab material
In lab this week, you will take a look at the results of our Rate-A-Chart activity from last lecture. Recall that we used Alberto Cairo’s 5 Elements of an Effective Chart:
Truthful — Faithful to the data: correct scales and baselines, no cherry-picking, clear sources/uncertainty, no misleading encodings.
Functional — Serves the task: the right chart type, readable labels/units, accessible color/contrast, minimal cognitive load.
Beautiful — Aesthetics that aid reading: clean typography, balanced spacing, harmonious (but purposeful) color—decoration never overrides meaning.
Insightful — Reveals something non-obvious: comparisons, context, and appropriate transformations that surface patterns or relationships; helpful annotations.
Enlightening — Changes understanding: answers “so what?”, connects to the bigger story, implications, or decisions; leaves the audience smarter than before.
To summarize your responses to the rating survey — I used RStudio and Quarto to create a dashboard of the results.