How to Lie with Data

How to Lie With DataSUDS Workshop, December 6th, 2016

David Newbury (@workergnome)

How to Lie with Data: David Newbury (@workergnome) 1

Who am I?

—Programmer—Animator—Data Visualizer—Teacher

This is not an ethics class.

Two goals for today:

• Learn to Persuade.• Become Suspicious.

If you want to lie...

...there's an easy way.Falsify Data.

We can be moresubtle than that.

Department ofVeterans AffairsTake this data.Looks about the same?

Department ofVeterans AffairsLet's compare them directly.

Not very dramatic, is it?

Department ofVeterans AffairsWe can do better than that...

Department ofVeterans AffairsOr, we could be really, reallysneaky effective.

What is a graph?A visual summary of informationfor human interpretation.

Graphs arevisual.

Graphs summarize.288,987 census blocks, 9.562 million people. 1 picture.

Graphs contain Information.• Data - facts or statements• Information - relationships • Knowledge - usefulness• Wisdom - real meaning

Graphs arefor humans.That big white triangledoes not exist.

Graphs are Interpreted.Graphs are confusing, but...

People trust you.

How to Lie with Statistics (1954)

[A misleading graph] is vastly more effective, however, because it contains no adjectives or adverbs to spoil the illusion of objectivity, there's nothing anyone can pin on you.

Graphsappear true.2000 children each yearsuffer spinal injuries.That's 0.0000003% of children.

Words arepowerful.

Misleading TitlesThis is actually showing

college attendance.

Too Blatant?

Loaded LabelsHow "substantial" is the drop?

Leading CaptionsIs the decreasepermanent or temporary?

Images aremore powerful.

PictographsLength vs. Count

Humans compare length...

before counting objects.

PictographsLength vs. Area

Making something 3x larger...

makes it appear 9x bigger.

Perspective3D looks like the future...

but it distorts ratios.

Maps and AreaWe assign importance to size...

even if the size is irrelevant.

A momentary pause.

ChoosyChoosersChooseCarefully.

Anchoring Comparisons

What will you compareyour selection to?

Exes vs. WyesComparing two things...

implies they are related.

Axis as AlliesOne line is total cost...

The other earnings per year.

Pick your PointsChange is really dramatic...if you pick the points.

Insufficient Resolution

Even if you don't cheat...

You can hide by sampling.

Choosingyour sample.The beginning and the end...Are what people will notice.

Watchingout for axismanipulation.

Starting from ZeroThings begin at zero...

so you can see change.

Choosing a ZeroChoosing what counts as zero

can be just as important.

Stretching the TruthSame data...But one appears more volatile.

Mathis hard.

Relative Sizes1 + 1 equals: 2 4!

Giving Less than 100%

13 + 13 + 19 + 14equals: 59 100%!

Everything Always Up.Adding things to each other...

Always makes them larger.

There areothers waysto cheat.

Breaking Norms

Hiding Expert Information

ConclusionsGo Here.

Your job is to direct attention.

Good visualizations have a point.

There's a fine line betweenstorytelling and lying.

My favorite example

3 versions of the same chart...

totally different stories.

How To Not Lie:

1). The visuals should match the numbers.

How To Not Lie:

2). Labels should be honest and accurate.

How To Not Lie:

3). Full context should be provided.

How To Not Lie:

4). Expert information should be conveyed.

Thank you.

Source: http://xkcd.com/688/

How to Lie with Data

Technology

Transcript of How to Lie with Data

How Not to Lie

Monmonier - How to Lie With Maps

How to Lie with Design Research

How to Lie with Statistics - Darrell Huff

How to Lie with Visualization Zoran Constantinescu.

The Data Never Lie

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Darrel Huff - How to Lie with Statistics.pdf

How Maps Lie

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How to Lie with Statistics*weems/homepage/635... · How to Lie with Statistics* *Darrell Huff, How to Lie with Statistics, Norton, New York, 1954. The only reliable way to measure

How to Lie With Statistics - Huff

How to Lie with Statistics - Darrel Huff

How to Lie with Statisticsweems/homepage/635... · How to Lie with Statistics *Darrell Huff, How to Lie with Statistics, Norton, New York, 1954. The only reliable way to measure