InfoVis
I believe the first representation of the ASUW budget as a pie chart is the best representation because in real budgeting circumstances, if the ASUW operating budget is a pie, then all of its entities get varying slices of the pie and in the end, the pie is finished. The pie chart conveys the finiteness of money that the ASUW operates with, and that if one entity's slice increases in size, then another's must decrease in size.
The second representation as a bar graph is still understandable and conveys the information correctly and reasonably. However it would potentially appear that one bar could grow without the others shrinking, which is conceptually incorrect. Lastly, the scatter plot is technically accurate in the numbers it conveys but is not conducive to conveying a budget. Perhaps if the plot were showing revenue over time, it may make more sense, formatting-wise.
Displays that exploit the visual potential of numbers
Critique #1
She wants to see exact numbers for breakdown and total budget numbers. She says its good to see relative amounts though. Some of the colors are a little bit similar but they’re still discernable. She feels a pie chart is a good display for a budget topic.
The bar graph is better at conveying actual dollar amounts. Descriptions of what titles mean isn’t apparent, however. For example, she is not sure what a commission is. The scale is accurate and doesn’t jump too much. Her chart preference depends on if I want to present absolute values or data relative to each other.
Revisions based on this critique
I agreed that the exact numbers would be helpful to see in the pie chart so I added them in. I also revised the titles to be more easily understandable to the average reader. I also changed the font to match that of my type model.
I revised the titles to be more easily understandable to the average reader. I also deleted the last line on the right side of the graph becaue none of the bars reach into its territory. Again, I also changed the font to match that of my type model.
How I emulated my models:
Most of what I changed about the chart in my formatting of the pie chart in excel was updating the colors to match those posted on the UW Marketing site as guidelines. I used the same colors as I did with the gavel image, as well as lighter and darker variations, to have enough distinct colors to represent the six slices of the budget pie. In trying to keep a neutral background that was distinct from the pie colors, I used the lavender-gray color, similar to the background of the Los Angeles Lakers themed infographic. Additionally, I changed the chart to use Aharoni font, because I liked the look of it, although I will need to solidify my font to keep it consistent accross the infographic. I'm generally happy with the look but may be interested in modifying my color choices in a future revision.
In the bar graph, I approached formatting with a similar mindset, this time formatting in Adobe Illustrator. I kept the background the lavender-gray to stay true to the Lakers infographic color scheme and stuck to the same purple and gold from the UW Marketing guidelines. I made the text the purple, for its readability and made the bars gold for it stand-out qualities. In addition, the text in the Lakers graphis is purple, so this follws the suit. Once again, I used Aharoni font. Overall, I am pleased with the coloring but I feel that this graphic could use more visual interest.
Critique #2
He likes the purple and gold but the Arts and Entertainment color is disturbing and gross. He recommends that I use an online color scheme generator to get other complimentary colors instead.
He liked that I used the same colors as the gavel graphic for continuity. He feels that the bar graph is straight-forward. He suggests that I maybe use gavels to replace the bars. He also liked the use of colors and says that purple for text and lines instead of gold is a good choice.
Revisions based on this critique
I revised the colors of the pie chart to be more visually appealing, as per his feedback. To simplify, I stuck to the two shades of purple and gold, alternating to add differentiation.
I found the suggestion of replacing the bars in the bar graph with images but for readability I decided to keep the bars as they were. I did however decrease the font size of x-axis labels to increase spacing between numbers.
Critique #3
He feels that the colors stand out in the pie chart but is intrigued by them not being in a gradient. He likes the purple and yellow mix. He also remarked that the fonts are good. He says that the colors are clear at the bottom. He feels that this display would be better to represent a static ASUW fund. In general, the pie chart looks like a rough estimation, because you can’t see the actual numbers. He suggests that I have arrows to slices to represent numerical data and names of slices, instead of having the key.
He also likes the bar chart and likes the deletion of the horizontal axis. He feels the graphic focuses on the raw data and the use of light orange against purple background helps the data stand out more. The vertical grid helps add precision to data points. Once again, the text looks good.
Revisions based on this critique
I eliminted the "key" for the pie chart and instead moved labels to directly connect slices and their titles via proximity.
No real criticism was given so I didn't change anything on his account. I did however add a dollar sign and commas to increase readability of budget numbers on the bottom of the chart.
First Iteration
Evolution of Where do ASUW funds go?
Critique #3
My third critique liked the font on the pie chart but suggested that I move the "senate + elections" text closer to the slice it pertains to. Additionally, I should put the dollar ammount consistently as the last line of any label. He isn't totally sold on the white border around individual slices of the pie but he likes the UW colors.
He suggests that I get rid of the dark gridlines behind the bars in the bar graph and that I consider changing the font, as this font looks rather futuristic.
Revisions based on this critique
I slightly modified the placement of labels and consistently put labels on the first line and dollar ammounts on the second. Additionally, I changed the font, to better match my text model and avoid the overly-futuristic look of the previous font.
Critique #2
He likes the pie chart more than the bars for conveying budget information. The even number of slices worked out well for coloring purposes. The yellow is hard to read however and he suggests having a border around text, like with the individual slices. Maybe the pie could be bigger so text could fit on the idividual slices in the opposite color for contrast. He also thinks that having the total dollar ammount somewhere may be helpful, depending on the use of the chart.
He feels that the graphic looks very flat and lacks a focal point. To remedy this, he suggests having a defined border between labels and data, perhaps a different color behind the data.
Revisions based on this critique
I changed the chart from a pie chart to a donut chart to create a more modern look and create space in the center for the total operating budget of the ASUW for 2013-2014. This also de-emphasizes the importance of angles and makes the size of slices more important instead.
Critique #1
She liked the color scheme and could immediately identify that the graphic was pertaining to UW student government. The white space inbetween slices helped distinguish slices and eliminating the legend was a good call. She feels associations are already clear due to color and proximity but maybe pointers would look good too. She also says the yellow text on the background is difficult to read. Perhaps the background color could change or the numbers and labels could be put on individual slices.
She liked the font of the bar graph but wasn't totally sold on the yellow bars on top of dark purple lines and feels the yellow looks dirty. She suggests that maybe the numbers would look better ontop of the bars or to the right of the bars instead of having an x-axis.
Revisions based on this critique
I decided I like the pie chart more for this type of information and thus settled on making final revisions to the pie chart and not the bar graph. I changed all text to be the purple color for readability and to better emulate my text model.
Second Iteration
Evolution of Now & Then
Critique #3
The labels are very readable and the updates to the y-axis labels are helpful. He suggested that I change the title to "ASUW Budget Over Time". He also liked the shortening of labels in the legend.
Revisions based on this critique
The same as with the first critic, I changed the title to avoid any confusion or mixed messaging. This should hopefully be a less slanted title.
Critique #2
She liked the idea of comparing different years' numbers but felt that it in implementation, 2012 and 2013's numbers were too similar for this chart to be revealing or meaningful. She suggested that I go back in time 10 years instead of 1. Additionally, she liked that I used UW's official marketing colors.
Revisions based on this critique
I definitely agree that the changes from year to year are very slight and not extremely interesting or worthwhile to show. I looked for information on the ASUW budget from 10 years ago however and was unable to locate it. I put in a request to get the information and will try to revise the graph again if I'm able to obtain the data.
Critique #1
My first critic liked the color scheme and side-by-side comparison of this graphic. He also agreed that the font updates were truer to my type model. He commented that a title change may be in order, to avoid people thinking "Where have ASUW funds gone" implies that the money is all gone or was wasted.
Revisions based on this critique
In lieu of my critic's feedback, I changed the title of the graph. I agree that the title could be slanted in making the viewer think that ASUW wastes money or that it is slowly disappearing. I changed it to "ASUW Budget: Then and Now" to clarify this.
Second Iteration
Critique #3
He likes the purple and gold combined together. However, the font isn't big enough to match the sizes of the bars. The dollar ammounts should be on the left axis, intead of just numbers. He is also not totally sold on the font of the graphic.
Revisions based on this critique
In response to this critic, as well as to better match my text and color models I changed the type used in this infographic. Additionally, I increased the size of text and make the numbers on the y-axis more descriptive.
Critique #2
The purple bars alongside he yellow bars help the viewer focus on the data. The display of the difference between the past 2 years is helpful and adds additional information. Perhaps labels on the y-axis could be better as "$50K" instead of "50000".
An overall title could be helpful in clarifying what it is displaying and the background seems to bleed into the data and graph.
Revisions based on this critique
I revised the y-axis labels to be shorter and labeled as dollar amounts rather than numbers. I also added a title to make it more immediately obvious what the graph is representing.
Critique #1
My first critique liked the purple and gold bars side-by-side since it is very obviously related to UW. She suggests that I increase the type size of labels and the legend so they're easier to read. Additionally, the legend should be even bigger than the axis labels.
Revisions based on this critique
As suggested by multiple critics, I increased the size of text throughout my graphic. Additionally, I made the size of legend text much bigger and more succinct. I also changed its placement to make better use of space.
First Iteration
How I emulated my models:
I used the same color scheme as in the graphs and charts above to create consistency and continue to emulate the look and feel of the Lakers infographic but with colors that are specific to the University of Washington. I also used the same fonts as in my text-model to ensure that I created consistency amongst various displays.
Instead of just showing the budget as it currently stands, this display shows the past two years' ASUW budgets and highlights some of the more subtle differences in allocations. The bars being side-by-side allows the viewer to very easily distinguish between the differences, however significant or subtle, in this year's budget and the last. Showing the dollar ammounts, instead of having a dollar-value axis is more precise as well. The color encoding by year makes the graph easier to read and more visually appealing.
Sources: The data/inspiration for this display came from the following sources...