Assignment #1: Data Visualization Analysis

Data Visualization Analysis

Link to visualization: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt3jgAUn4B5/

              The data visualization I chose was titled “percentage breakdown of US households.” It displays about how many people will live together in the America through the different year. As we can see, in 1960, the percentage of family living together is higher than others and through the passing of the years, it has decline. More people are willing to live themselves. 

              This data visualization did a good job on the use of color. Data visualizer uses the gradient colors to make the chart look pretty and to separate the numbers of people by using the difference colors. So, the reader can easily understand that there are separate and difference column. Moreover, the strong use of color makes the reader to get more attention on the big families such as 5 people, 6 people and 7+ people. As the “red” has the meaning of attention and crowd, the reader will pay more attention on the percentage of the big families than the single or two people who live themselves. Even though the red color is the heavy color that will make the reader focus on it, and it is not a good job for a good data visualization, but this is the point that the data visualizer wants the reader to focus on it. Thus, the strong use of color not only make it pretty and noticeable to easy catch the readers’ attention, also make it meaningful as the more people live together, the more red color on it and more attention on it. 

             However, the data visualization also did not a good job on the content. Right from the beginning, it is easy to understand what the data visualizer wants to show or to talk about as the percentage of the 7+ people are less than the percentage of others. However, as you dive into it, it does not get much information on it. We know that the column of the 5 people, 6 people and 7+ people are smaller than others and through the passing of the years, it is getting much smaller than before from 1960 to 2018, but it is hard to count without the number on it. Our eyes don’t interpret the percentage differences very easily. Also, comparing to the year, there are only the column of one person has the same beginning point with others, and two people to seven people don’t have the same beginning point with others, thus, it is hard to compare that which year has the biggest percentage of two people or three people or 7+ people.

            Thus, I would like to suggest to use the line chart as the simplest way. As the line chart could have been use the color in a simpler and smarter way that can reflect the decline of percentage through the different years in a comparative way. For example, let the numbers of person in the bottom and the percentage in the left. Use the different color on the different years, so that each year has its own color. So it is easy to see the decline of the percentage and the difference between years.