Tufte's Tips on Analyzing Visual Data

    <p class=default>
      <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial">
        + + + + + General Tips in Creating and Analyzing Visual Data (from CarbonIQ) 
      </span>
    </p>
    <p class=default>
      <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial">
        On making a visual presentation: Tufte says that visual presentations should incorporate a 
        lot of the same techniques that magicians incorporate in their work. Never tell people in 
        advance of what you're about to do. Let it hit them like a ton of bricks. Never repeat a 
        trick.
      </span>
    </p>
    <p class=default>
      <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial">
        On displaying stats visually: you don't necessarily need to show the zero-point if the 
        zero point is not relevant. For example, if you're displaying values of 145, 151, 129, and 
        220, then show the difference between the least and the greatest -- not their relation to 
        zero.
      </span>
    </p>
    <p class=default>
      <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial">
        On displaying financial statistics: if comparing anything financially over time, be sure 
        to adjust for inflation. All too often designers don't do so, and wind up mixing apples 
        and oranges without telling their audience. This is misleading.
      </span>
    </p>
    <p class=default>
      <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial">
        Don't trust a display if it doesn't have any footnotes, source information, etc. Otherwise 
        there's no reason to assume that it's not a lie.
      </span>
    </p>
    <p class=default>
      <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial">
        If you have data, show it. Show all of it. And if you're viewing stats or a visual 
        explanation that does not show all its data, then what you are seeing is selected; someone 
        has something to hide, and only wants you to hear what they want you to hear. You're not 
        getting the full story. This is common in financial reports for stocks and funds that 
        don't want to tell you how bad things really are.
      </span>
    </p>
    <p class=default>
      <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial">
        On the other hand, don't show people more than they really need to know. Just as with a 
        book or article, if you're just adding fluff, then you're just adding fluff.
      </span>
    </p>
    <p class=default>
      <span style="color: #000000; font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial">
        
      </span>
    </p>