← VCE Data Analysis

Mock-up of a data visualisation

A sketch of a chart or graph made before building it, showing the chart type, titles, labels, colours, fonts and layout so the design can be checked and improved.

Part of: VCE Applied Computing - U1O1 - Data analysis — Module 77, VCE Data Analytics - U3O1 - Data Analytics — Module 110, VCE Data Analytics - U3O2 - Analysis and Design — Module 148, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Analysing and Visualising Data — Module 69

Understanding Mock-up of a data visualisation in VCE Data Analysis

What it does: An axis label with its unit is a label decision recorded in the mock-up before building the chart. Line charts suit data that changes over time. A pie chart shows parts of a whole at one point in time. Contrasting colours and a legend help viewers tell data series apart. Too many similar colours cause confusion. Fonts should be clear and large enough to read. Titles are usually bigger so they stand out. Reviewing colours and fonts in the mock-up helps fix readability problems before the visual is made.

Common mistakes: A pie chart shows parts of a whole, not change over time. Temperature across 7 days is a trend, so the mock-up should use a line chart. The x-axis should show the categories, which are the days of the week. The number of steps belongs on the y-axis, so this line should be 'X-axis: Day of the week'.

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Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 68–80) and word search (Modules 56–80).

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Learning
Duo
Which best describes a data visualisation mock-up?
A sketch of the chart showing its type, titles, labels, colours and layout before it is builtThe finished chart created in a spreadsheet using the real data
Matches
Chart type: pie chart for 12 months of temperature data
↓
A pie chart is the wrong choice because it shows parts of a whole, not change over time. Use a line graph for 12 months of data.
Applying
Meanings
Term
Data visualisation mock-up
Meaning
A sketch of a chart or graph made before building it, showing the chart type, titles, labels, colours, fonts and layout so the design can be checked and improved.
Practice
Chart type: Column chart
Testing
Gaps
Chart type: chart
Check Answer
Spots
1Data: temperature over 7 days
2Chart: pie chart

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Quick Questions

1. Which best describes a data visualisation mock-up?
A. The finished chart created in a spreadsheet using the real data
B. A sketch of the chart showing its type, titles, labels, colours and layout before it is built ✓
A mock-up is a draft design made before building, so the layout can be checked and improved first.
2. A student wants to show how a school's monthly canteen sales change over 12 months. Which chart type should the mock-up show?
A. Pie chart
B. Line chart ✓
Line charts suit data that changes over time. A pie chart shows parts of a whole at one point in time.
3. A mock-up compares the number of students in five different year levels. Which chart choice is best?
A. Column chart with one column per year level ✓
B. Line chart joining the year levels together
Column charts compare separate categories. A line implies a trend over time, which year levels do not show.
4. Which item belongs in a data visualisation mock-up?
A. A title such as 'Canteen sales by month, 2024' and labelled axes ✓
B. An unlabelled chart so viewers must guess what it shows
Titles and axis labels tell the viewer what the chart shows and which units are used. Plan them in the mock-up.
5. When is a mock-up of a data visualisation created?
A. Before the chart is built ✓
B. After the chart is finished and published
A mock-up is made before building so problems can be spotted and fixed early.

Match the Pairs

Chart type: line graph → Picks a line graph in the mock-up because it shows how a value changes over time, such as daily temperature
Title: Average Rainfall by Month, 2023 → Gives the chart a clear title that tells the viewer what data is shown and for which period
A mock-up plans labels so viewers know what each axis shows, including units → Y-axis label: Number of students (count)
A mock-up plans colours and fonts so the chart is easy to read and consistent → Colours: blue bars, grey gridlines; Font: Arial 12pt
Chart type: pie chart for 12 months of temperature data → A pie chart is the wrong choice because it shows parts of a whole, not change over time. Use a line graph for 12 months of data.
Colours: red, green, orange, pink, yellow text on a white background → Too many bright colours make the chart hard to read, and yellow text on white has poor contrast. Use a few contrasting colours.

Key Term

Data visualisation mock-up
A sketch of a chart or graph made before building it, showing the chart type, titles, labels, colours, fonts and layout so the design can be checked and improved.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Purpose: show change over time Chart type: line chart
Hint: Type the chart type that best shows change over time.
2. Purpose: show each part of a whole Chart type: pie chart
Hint: Type the chart type that shows parts of a whole.
3. Title: Rainfall by Month X-axis label: Month Y-axis label: Rainfall (mm)
Hint: Type the name of the vertical axis that the label belongs to.
4. Legend: shows what each colour means
Hint: Type the visual feature a legend explains for each data series.
5. Title text is larger than the label text
Hint: Type the word that compares the title font size to the label font size.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A Data: temperature over 7 days
B Chart: pie chart
C X-axis: Day
D Y-axis: Temperature (C)
Line B — A pie chart shows parts of a whole, not change over time. Temperature across 7 days is a trend, so the mock-up should use a line chart.
Question 2
A Chart: column chart
B X-axis: Steps (count)
C Y-axis: Steps (count)
D Title: Steps per day
Line B — The x-axis should show the categories, which are the days of the week. The number of steps belongs on the y-axis, so this line should be 'X-axis: Day of the week'.
Question 3
A Chart: bar chart
B Title: Sales by region
C Colours: yellow text, white bg
D Font: Arial, 12pt
Line C — Yellow text on a white background has poor contrast and is hard to read. Use dark text on a white background, such as 'Colours: dark text, white bg'.
Question 4
A Chart: pie chart
B Title: Phone brands in Year 11
C Labels: show % on each slice
D Colours: all slices are blue
Line D — If every slice is the same colour, viewers cannot tell the categories apart. Each slice needs its own colour, so this should be 'Colours: one colour per slice'.
Question 5
A Chart: bar chart
B Title: Rainfall by month
C Font: five fonts on one chart
D Title 18pt, labels 10pt
Line C — Using many fonts makes a chart look messy and hard to read. A mock-up should use one clear, consistent font, such as 'Font: Arial for all text'.

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