According to JMP System Engineer Mike Anderson, “A chart or graph should have a clear purpose. If it doesn’t meet that purpose, it’s not a good chart.” To illustrate this example, Mike shows us a spider diagram of five sensory attributes for 14 types of beer to see if we can answer some simple questions. Ultimately, it’s pretty obvious it’s not easy to get that information out of the spider plot. More importantly, Mike asks: “How hard did you have to think?” A useful visualization, Mike says, must meet five criteria: It’s comprehensive, truthful, “not ugly,” obvious and effortless. So, can his example be presented in a better way? Mike shows us a number of possible candidates so you can judge for yourself.
