Presenting Statistics On Web Sites

visualise | communicate | ENGAGE

Instant Atlas™ is a registered trademark of GeoWise Limited ©Copyright 2008 | Geowise Limited

Developing best practice for presenting

statistics on the web:

A focus on UK Government

John Maslen, GeoWise

www.instantatlas.com



GeoWise

A UK and international provider of web solutions for managing and visualizing geography and statistics for:

1.Data visualisation / exploration2.Area profiling3.Performance Management reporting4.Statistical publishing



The Changing Information Environment• Increasing volumes of data (overload?)• Greater emphasis on ‘evidence’ to back-up action• More obligations on public sector reporting +

more comprehensive auditing procedures• Information reaching all levels - tools getting

easier to use• Lay users often lack exploratory data skills –

need training to create ‘barefoot statisticians’• Knowledge management and metadata often not

considered high priority – management culture issue

• Data experts often under-valued and few in number

• Rising customer expectations



10 generic guidelines for presenting statistics on the web



Guideline 1• Different user types have different needs – one size does

not fit all! Get to know your users, their skill levels, their level of data knowledge, what their ‘thinking task’ is likely to be - refine your end products as your understanding improves. Some users will find raw data meaningful, others meaningless. Public nature of Internet makes understanding citizen user needs a BIG challenge > try running consultations with sample user groups.

• Use presentation techniques appropriate to the nature of your data - 'a picture is worth a thousand words (or numbers)' – use comparisons - many prefer textual synopsis (80% people ‘number blind’).

Guideline 2



"Bad graphics fail because they omit or manipulate context, deceive by discouraging comparison or obscuring important details, and confuse with visual miscues. Tell the truth. Show the data in its full complexity. Reveal what is hidden. Especially, respect the reader.“

Edward Tufte, 1997



Guideline 3• Use presentational techniques that take

advantage of the web – eg. don't replicate a hardcopy output in PDF if you can bring new insights and understanding through user interaction

• Communicating numeric statistics effectively to non-specialists requires thought, preparation and testing. Generic rule of thumb – 33% effort should go on data capture/research, 33% on analysis, 33% on dissemination. Dissemination often an after-thought!

Guideline 4



Guideline 5• Reality is complex - problems are multivariate. Avoid

jargon. Make content engaging and useful. Where appropriate provide multiple routes into presenting the same data to suit different user needs – don’t assume novice users have ‘simple’ needs. ‘Dumbing down’ may not be the best solution.

• Presenting the figures well may not be enough – users may need training and impartial ‘expert’ advice at the end of the phone or in person (“answers on tap”).

Guideline 6



Guideline 7• Presenting data ‘on-the-fly’ is a MAJOR challenge to do

well. Often puts the onus on non-expert users to do interpretation. Try to add tools and text to lead users through interpretation process.

• Delivering content dynamically may not be the best solution – use publishing approaches (data often not dynamic) to add more control over content, function and ultimately message. Can also include interpretation.

• Don’t underestimate the demand for embedding dynamic content into static content for publishing (Word, PDF etc) – try to make outputs easy to copy-paste and, if possible, ‘printer-friendly’

Guideline 8



Guideline 9

• Try to follow agreed web guidelines and standards eg. usability (response times, colours etc), metadata (eGMS, DDE, SDMX), web accessibility (WAI) etc.

Guideline 10

• Make metadata obvious/explicit – it should describe purpose, data sources and data characteristics (dataset -> record). Also metadata about elements of graphical presentation, searchable tags in XML/SVG files etc.



Examples of InstantAtlas Statistics Dashboards



Worcestershire crime patterns



Patterns of health in Sheffield



Crime patterns in Brent



Hotspots of crime patterns in Brent (2)



Norfolk deprivation - different geographies, same indicator



Brighton deprivation - same geography, same indicator, different dates



Crime in Newcastle - same geographies, different indicators, same dates



Performance scorecard across Norfolk Districts



Funnel plot of significance of health indicators



Profile of Scotland’s health



Profile of Scotland’s health with radar chart



Scorecard of English health survey results



Edward Tufte on graphics…

“Making decisions based on evidence requires the appropriate display of that evidence. Good displays of data help to reveal knowledge relevant to understanding mechanism, process and dynamics, cause and effect.”

“When consistent with the substance and in harmony with the content, information displays should be documentary, comparative, causal and explanatory, quantified, multivariate, exploratory, skeptical...it also helps to have an endless commitment to finding, telling and showing the truth.”



Useful References1. Publications of Edward Tufte, Bill Cleveland and Naomi Robbins

2. BDS Graphics Team (“Principles for Graphical Display”)

3. "Plain Figures" (2nd ed.1996 Stationery Office)

4. http://www.cdc.gov/ncphi/disss/nndss/asb/orcmacro.htm

5. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about_ns/cop/downloads/datapresentation.pdf

6. http://www.plainfigures.com/index.html

7. http://www.sbtc.ltd.uk/freenotes.html

8. http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/9900272.pdf

9. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/35.pdf

10. http://www.nedarc.org/nedarc/utilizingData/utilizingDataForCommunication/defineGoalForCommunicating.html

11. http://www.instantatlas.com/supportlinks.xhtml

12. http://www.perceptualedge.com/blog/



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Presenting Statistics On Web Sites

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