Module 4: Responsible Data Storytelling

Considerations

In this section, we’ll explore the various considerations for creating your own data visualization. These include:

  • Cognitive load
  • Accessibility
  • Colour
  • Fonts
  • Gestalt’s principles:
    • Proximity
    • Similarity
    • Continuity
    • Closure
    • Figure-ground

Cognitive Load

Cognitive scientist James Bruner suggested that we are 22 times more likely to remember information if it’s presented as a story.  When drafting data visualizations, we want to manage our audience’s cognitive load.  Cognitive load is the mental effort needed to take in new information.  Think of it as humans’ ability to process.  In designing a data visualization, we want to make the best use of human processing power and direct the audience to what they need to know.

Accessibility

To ensure your infographic is accessible, make sure that you design for accessibility. Below are some tips:

  • Use contrasting colours. A bar graph with five shades of blue for example may be too difficult to read. If possible, review your data visualizations through colourblind eyes. Try the Colour Contrast Checker which is a tool for checking foreground and background colours. Figure 4.1-4.3[1] below display the same data with different background colours.
A line graph illustrating poor contrast by presenting the line in a similar colour with its blue background.
Figure 4.1. Line graph showing how the area (in square feet) of mushroom beds in British Columbia has changed, 2016-2020. 
A line graph illustrating good contrast by presenting the line in a different colour than the white background.
Figure 4.2. Line graph showing how the area (in square feet) of mushroom beds in British Columbia has changed, 2016-2020.
A line graph illustrating average contrast, with a blue line on a black background.
Figure 4.3. Line graph showing how the area (in square feet) of mushroom beds in British Columbia has changed, 2016-2020.

Reflection

Which graph grabs your attention from the ones above?

  • Provide an alternative format or brief description for images for individuals using screen readers.

Deeper Dive

You can learn more about creating accessible infographics through this resource from the Universal Design Center.

Colour

Visual communication can overcome certain communication barriers such as language.  Data visualizations have the ability to communicate more universally.  However, visual communication is not universal. Our ways of looking are strongly influenced and possibly determined by the visual culture we inhabit. We learn certain ways of looking at the world, and what we see is governed by the ways of looking that we have acquired culturally.  Colours may also have cultural connotations.  When developing visualizations for external audiences, you may want to look at David McCandless’ work on colour meaning across cultures.

Fonts

When selecting fonts, here are a few suggestions:

  • Strategically use typefaces to communicate varying feelings, moods, style, and emphasis.
  • Serif fonts have a traditional feel and style and are often preferred in print.
    Serif font contains a stroke at the end of a letter's stem.
    Figure 4.4. Serif font contains a stroke at the end of a letter’s stem.
  • San Serif fonts have a modern feel/style and are better for headlines.
San serif font does not have a stroke at the end of a letter's stem.
Figure 4.5. San serif font does not have a stroke at the end of a letter’s stem.

Questions to ask yourself about selecting fonts:

  • Is your message evident from the visuals and text?
  • Have you used creative, relevant visuals in your designs?
  • Is the text appropriate and tailored to your audience?
  • How do your creative pieces stand out?
  1. Statistics Canada. Table 32-10-0356-01 Area, production and sales of mushrooms. Data is reproduced and distributed on an "as is" basis with the permission of Statistics Canada. Retrieved January 8th, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/3210035601-eng. Statistics Canada Open Licence: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/reference/licence ↵

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Critical Data Literacy Copyright © 2022 by Nora Mulvaney and Audrey Wubbenhorst and Amtoj Kaur is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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