The focus of this module is to raise considerations for creating data visualizations to tell a story about data. Anyone can code a bar plot, scatterplot, line plot or any other visualization whether simple or complex. Out of the box, {ggplot2} allows you to produce some reasonable but the library does not evaluate items like:
the appropriateness of your plot to the specific story you are trying to tell,
the appropriateness of the color scheme used for a client project, or
the appropriateness of the colors for your client’s internal team or their public audience. Function libraries also do not consider whether your plot takes on perceptual properties that may bias your readership.
Issues arise when you accept the default performance of functions and produce plots that contain elements that are not appropriate to a specific audience or perceptually problematic to the general human audience. You should not consider a coded plot complete without considering its elements thoroughly. This module introduces some of these issues.
To Do
Prior to class
Complete the brief readings below. There is no coding video corresponding to this module.