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Graphical Presentation of Data in Reports

Graphical Presentation of Data in Reports. Dr Peter Kappen Acting Principal Scientist – XAS. Overview. Pictures and storytelling The Council – Examples of Story & Audience The Council – Examples of Relevance & Form Embedding in the text Australian Synchrotron.

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Graphical Presentation of Data in Reports

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  1. Graphical Presentation of Data in Reports Dr Peter Kappen Acting Principal Scientist – XAS

  2. Overview • Pictures and storytelling • The Council – Examples of Story & Audience • The Council – Examples of Relevance & Form • Embedding in the text • Australian Synchrotron

  3. A picture is worth a thousand words

  4. Pictures tell stories “pictures” in corporate communication = graphs, charts, diagrams, photos/images graphical communication = speaking to the audience; storytelling Here: Focus on what we can do with MS Office products = content first, form later

  5. Story & Audience • or • “WHY am I telling this story”

  6. Story & Audience – Tailoring to suit • Scenario: • The Council organises an annual “iExercise” at the local sports ground to promote community health. • This year’s event was a big success; >450 people attended. • Report to show the geographical spread of attendees. • The Council comprises 5 wards (North, East, South, West, Centre). Each ward is divided into a few neighbourhoods.

  7. Story & Audience – Tailoring to suit • iExercise – Attendees by Neighbourhood • Here: Audience / story = local (residents, Council).

  8. Story & Audience – Tailoring to suit • iExercise – Attendees by Ward • Here: Audience / story = “global” (organisers, Council, State Govt.)

  9. Tailoring to the audience • Key questions to keep asking: • Why am I reporting this? • What is the story? • Who is the audience? • Caveat: There is a difference between displaying data to tell a fact and displaying data to manipulate or twist a message.

  10. Relevance & Form

  11. Relevance & Form The Council – Report on the rate of customer service requests resolved This story: Improving performance.

  12. Relevance & Form The Council – Report on the rate of customer service requests resolved This story: Consistently high number of requests received.

  13. Relevance & Form The Council – Report on the rate of customer service requests resolved 88% 94% 97% 96% This story: KPI tracking and improvement + Consistently high number of requests received.

  14. Relevance & Form What is wrong with this plot? 88% 94% 97% 96%

  15. Relevance & Form What is wrong with this plot? 88% 94% 97% 96% Style versus relevance: What does the extra style element add ?

  16. Relevance & Form Form: Anatomy of a plot. scaling to relevance “no-frills” formatting; relevance of style elements concise legend axis labels

  17. Tailoring the form • Fit the form to the story • 1. Why am I reporting this? • 2. What is the story? • 3. Who is the audience? • and • 4. What style elements are required ( story)? • 5. What visual effects are required ( story;  audience)? • Caveat: There is a difference between displaying data to tell a fact • and displaying data to manipulate or twist a message.

  18. Embedding in the text • Best practices (in science): • Figures are numbered consecutively and each has a caption 88% 94% 97% 96% Figure 9: Number of service requests received and resolved since 2010. The percentage values show the fraction of requests resolved; target value (KPI) is 95%. See text for further information.

  19. Embedding in the text • Best practices (in science): • Explicitreferencein the text • Figure supports the argument and saves words • “Figure 9highlights Council’s strong improvement in responding to customer service requests since 2010. The target (KPI) of 95% resolution rate has been met since 2012. The data also shows a continuously high community usage of Council services. […]”

  20. Example: Australian Synchrotron Australian Synchrotron: • located in Melbourne’s SE(City of Monash) • National research facility • Interdisciplinary across many fields of research • Relevant to industry Mission Benefit to the community photo: Australian Synchrotron

  21. National Research Organisation • Researchers by Geography

  22. Community Connection – FY2012/13

  23. Contaminated site: Hazardous chromium mix of bad Cr + OK Cr OK Cr photo courtesy of: ERM Melbourne • use synchrotron to: • identify mix ratio • identify Cr species (compounds) in mix • develop remediation strategy bad Cr

  24. Conclusion • The Big Why • Three key questions (content): • Why am I reporting this? • What is the story? • Who is my audience? • Style to match the story (“Content first, form later”) • Embedding in text: Captions and numbers are good practice

  25. Thanks! • LGPro and Conference Organisers • Australian Synchrotron User Office

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