Interrogate the data, how was this data created? Is it clean? Does the recording of the data reflect the intention for how you want to use the data. Does it reflect the right date ranges? See if you can find some comparable data, or benchmarks from older data. To help contextualize your data. Continue reading
The first watch out in understanding a chart is looking at the scales. These can be easily distorted to misrepresent findings. Take a chart that is a portrait and make it landscape and it instantly stretches out. So do compare the scales, and the metrics used on each axis. Then explore the data itself, how was it collected, how many data points are in here. Can you draw or add any trendiness? Is the data substantial enough… Continue reading
