Table Graphics
February 4, 2004 | Sean Gerety
2 Comment(s)
Table Graphics have been used in a couple of threads and in your books. Would you care to elaborate on this technique? I’m interested in the following:
1. data density
2. best scenarios for using table-graphics
3. issues with scale
4. small multiples of table graphics (ala Dave Nash’s post)
5. Using table graphics for confections?
Thanks,
Sean
If anyone’s been to the seminars in Virginia I’m sure you noticed the military brass in the audience. This looks like the product of a course alumnus:
http://www.defenselink.mil/brac/pdf/Appendix_C_FinalUpdated.pdf
For background, the Base Realignment And Closure Committee (BRAC) stands up now and again to clean house in the military. It was dormant for about four years and then, with the fiscal challanges of Iraq, came back to make funds available through consolidation. The careers of hundreds of thousands of people are reflected in these numbers. Congress historically approves 85% of these recommendations.
Jessica Enders posted an interesting article at “A List Apart” regarding “zebra striping” of tables.
Zebra Striping: More Data for the
Case
The short answer is that is seems to help readability (as assessed by data interpretation tasks), but not a great deal. In
addition, the style was not preferred by a fair number of users