After
you have run successful
survey projects
and gathered amazing data altogether, it may be tempting to race
through creating graphs and charts. Sometimes, having data to share
may get you excited and drive you to visualize data in ways that
don’t do justice to the project. You have to slow down as well as
make every graph count.
Your
goal should be graphical excellence once you define as communicating
concepts as precisely, clearly, and efficiently as possible while
allowing the data reveal the truth. When you are deciding how to
present survey results, take note that just like surveys
weren’t a test for the respondents, the report charts aren’t a
test for the readers.
These
following tips will help you keep the graphs true to the survey
data.
While there will be times that companies and clients want you to
manipulate data, majority of the breakdowns in graphical integrity
are actually accidental. Mistakes could happen, yet keeping an eye on
such practices for your
survey results
will keep the charts on track.
Always
Be Clear with Your Data Totals
An
easy way to be clear about your data is including the number of the
total observations on the chart. This simple addition is crucial in
understanding the presented data. Including the observations on your
charts will allow the readers to reconstruct the data from the
provided percentages. This also provides indirect measures of the
variability one could expect to see within the results.
If
the number of the observations is small, usually fewer than 15 or 10,
use the number counts rather than the percentages. Once you have a
small number of survey
respondents,
it’s good to plot counts compared to the percentage of the counts.
Even if it’s possible for readers to calculate counts on her or his
own, going to the counts for small numbers will help the chart’s
readability through getting rid of extra step. One’s brain can
interpret and read small numbers quickly without ambiguity.
Never
Overload Your Graph or Chart
It
is crucial that your readers can get information efficiently and
quickly from your graph or chart. You do not want them to stare
hopelessly at the data just to find their way around. There’s often
a tendency to add a lot of items to the graph that don’t add to the
message of the data. Oftentimes, non-data items are basically
included, which could detract from and mask the real information.
It
is also important to pick chart types wisely. If 3D graphs are not a
possibility, what kinds of data visualization can you use for survey
results?
You may stick with using pie charts, scatter plots, stacked bar,
column charts, and bar charts to show survey data in a clearer
manner.
Show
All Survey Data
The
truth about survey data set basically extends beyond what you may fit
on the single graph or chart, yet you have to strive for you to show
all data available. When setting up graphs and charts, see to it that
you are considering not only the presentation’s accuracy, but also
its visual appeal. You must make smart color choices, pick consistent
chart scales and types, and make clear visual hierarchy.
Just
remember that asking the right question to the right person at the
right time can only give you the right result. PollDeep,
the ultimate online poll creator can help you design and conduct the
most relevant poll for your business. With latest features and
technology, PollDeep
has everything which makes it a strong and comprehensive poll
creator. So trust your intuition and conduct an online poll, your
business will never be the same again.
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