Wainer: Chapter 10: Tabular Presentation
Tables for communication, not data storage
3 rules for preparation of tables
design for overall level, row, column, and interaction effects
1. Order the rows and columns in a way that makes sense
a. by size (more importantly, by importance!)
b. by natural configuration (e.g., time) – the way the viewer might expect
to see them
2. Round figures, and be careful of significant digits – use figures that make
sense by sacrificing preciseness
a. Humans cannot understand more than 2 digits very easily
b. Statistically, it is difficult to justify accuracy to more than two digits
c. Normally, we don’t care for accuracy more than 2 digits
3. ALL is different and important – the way to use ALL depends on the purpose
(sum, or often median), whichever, it should be visually different from the
individual entries and set spatially apart
NOTE: Median: the number in the middle of a set of numbers; that is, half
the numbers have values that are greater than the median, and half have
values that are less. If there is an even number of numbers in the set,
then the median calculates the average of the two numbers in the middle.
Improve tables further by making them “more graphical”. A semigraphical display
like the stem-and-leaf diagram is merely a table in which the entries are not only
ordered but are also spaced according to their size.
Wainer: Section 5: Improving Graphical Presentations
How do we integrate figures and text? The goal should be to have the two
intermingled so that they form a single perceptual unit.
-do not separate figure and text between pages
-do not shrink text or figures
-color can “isolate” figures from their associated text
While old texts had information “flow” between figure and text, early typesetting
tools separated them. This is basically due to an effort to conserve page space.
-recommend left justify with right-ragged
-recommend wider-than-high format
Even Tufte uses taller-than-wider, but does not sacrifice page space for idea
cohesion.
Chapter 18: Elegance, Grace, and Impact
Part of the reason for the continued low quality lie in the default options of most
software packages. The answer lies in pizzazz in today’s media: displays whose
primary purpose was decoration, not communication.
Must pizzazz be sacrificed to have clarity, when impact is important?
The most important component of a memorable graph is the information it
contains. (Napoleon’s march is important, because it describes the death of
more than 400,000 soldiers.)
Chapter 19: Sense-lining
Breaking information at specific points, instead of at the end of a line, is a good
strategy. In effect, it helps “chunk” information that has shown to be helpful in
easing comprehension.
Ex. Tax booklet instructions, Standardized Test Instructions
Chapter 20: Making Readable Overhead Displays
Some issues:
-overcrowded (or too much information on one table)
-printing is too small
-text contains jargon
-numbers are overburdened with sig. digits
-table/graph contains useless information or information that is not
addressed
To improve:
-start with an explicit statement of purpose
-the principle goal of any presentation is communication
-to effectively communicate, we need to
-make assumptions about the audience
-understand the communication medium (technologically)
Recommendations:
1. center all material in a 6”x9” (in an 8.5”x11”)
2. use no more than 30 characters per line
3. use no more than 15 lines per overhead
4. use 36-point type for major headings, 24-point for the rest
5. limit the number of fonts used to no more than 2 (sans serif, no caps, use
bold-face discretely)
6. resist seduction by color (can harm legibility and rarely helps except for
emphasis)
7. these rules have some flexibility
8. limit number of equations to 2 or 3 per overhead, 5 per hour
9. limit number of sig. dig. to two
Rehearse and practice under real (or worse) conditions.
Point to screen and not transparency when presenting.