Question

Do you agree with the following statement: “Whatever the problem at hand, all data should be visualised in a pretty way”. Briefly discuss. [DT1]

[DT1]Week 11 lecture

Answer 1

No, I do not agree with this statement. Visualization of data is an important aspect to solve the problem at hand and its visualization, in a pretty way, is not necessary and not required in all cases and situations.

Data visualization is basically the graphical representation of information and data so that the readers or users have an accessible way to see and understand trends besides locating and understanding any outliers and determining the patterns in data.

Hence what is important is that data visualization is done in a good manner and not necessarily in a pretty manner. Having an aesthetic value will obviously appeal to the users but what is more important is that visualization should be done in an optimal manner so that the users are able to see the point that the data is trying to highlight. It will be important to use the right type of chart and graph and use colors and patterns in such a manner that users are easily able to identify the pattern, trend or the underlying message in the data.