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Who says numbers speak for themselves? Here are the 5 BIG lies in data presentation you should watch out for.
Case 1: Revenue Growth
How did they manage this data presentation lie?
Quick analysis of the data presentation:
Their charges are $6 per sq.cm. The competition charges $5 per sq.cm. The difference of $1 per sq.cm. is huge if you go for big advertisements. They downplayed the difference by widening the interval in the y-axis. When the interval is as wide as 25 units, $1 difference (18% more expensive) goes unnoticed.
In the chart on circulation, they made a small difference of 3000 prints look sizeable. They did this by using very small intervals in the y- axis and narrowing the chart range (Minimum 67,000 and Maximum 72,000).
Did the political party actually arrest the growing crime rates?
Take a look at this company revenue growth chart:
Here is the ugly truth behind the same data:
Presenting Data Caution 1: What is not said is as important as what is said
Be clear about the information you want to see and demand the information you need to make a decision. Case 2: Comparison to CompetitionTake a look at this data slide presented by a popular magazine:
Here is the ugly truth behind the data:
Presenting Data Caution 2: If some claims are too good to be true, they usually are
I recommend you ask basic questions and understand the axes. Case 3: Change over Time See the extent of manipulation in the following presentation slide made by a political party:Here is the ugly truth behind the same data:
Presenting Data Caution 3: When you see sharp changes in a chart, look deeper into the numbers
Case 4:Sales Performance What do you think of the sales performance shown in this data slide?Here is the ugly truth behind the same sales data:
Presenting Data Caution 4: Don’t judge data in isolation
Always use relevant and correct comparisons before making your evaluations. Demand to see the full picture. Case 5: Standalone dataLook at this slide which complains about the rising number of damaged units:
Presenting Data Caution 5: See the complete picture from all angles before making your judgment
Conclusion about Data Presentations: These examples were not meant to make you pessimistic. They were just meant to remind you to ask for the truth behind when you see a data presentation as an audience. If you are a presenter, it may be easy to lie in data presentation. But, once you lose audience faith, it is impossible to get it back.Related: Top Irritating Ways to Animate Presentations
Related: 5 Small Mistakes in Presenting Data
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