Mock-up of a data visualisation

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

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

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

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

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

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

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Chart type: line graph		AColours: blue bars, grey gridlines; Font: Arial 12pt
2Title: Average Rainfall by Month, 2023		BA 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.
3A mock-up plans labels so viewers know what each axis shows, including units		CGives the chart a clear title that tells the viewer what data is shown and for which period
4A mock-up plans colours and fonts so the chart is easy to read and consistent		DToo many bright colours make the chart hard to read, and yellow text on white has poor contrast. Use a few contrasting colours.
5Chart type: pie chart for 12 months of temperature data		EPicks a line graph in the mock-up because it shows how a value changes over time, such as daily temperature
6Colours: red, green, orange, pink, yellow text on a white background		FY-axis label: Number of students (count)

Definitions

Data visualisation mock-up

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

Purpose: show change over time Chart type: ____ chart

Purpose: show each part of a whole Chart type: ___ chart

Title: Rainfall by Month X-axis label: Month ______ label: Rainfall (mm)

Legend: shows what each ______ means

Title text is ______ than the label text

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A Data: temperature over 7 days

B Chart: pie chart

C X-axis: Day

D Y-axis: Temperature (C)

Question 2

A Chart: column chart

B X-axis: Steps (count)

C Y-axis: Steps (count)

D Title: Steps per day

Question 3

A Chart: bar chart

B Title: Sales by region

C Colours: yellow text, white bg

D Font: Arial, 12pt

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

Question 5

A Chart: bar chart

B Title: Rainfall by month

C Font: five fonts on one chart

D Title 18pt, labels 10pt

Answer Key

Mock-up of a data visualisation

Section A: Quick Questions

B — A sketch of the chart showing its type, titles, labels, colours and layout before it is built

B — Line chart

A — Column chart with one column per year level

A — A title such as 'Canteen sales by month, 2024' and labelled axes

A — Before the chart is built

Section B: 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.

Section C: Definitions

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.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

Purpose: show change over time
Chart type: line chart

Purpose: show each part of a whole
Chart type: pie chart

Title: Rainfall by Month
X-axis label: Month
Y-axis label: Rainfall (mm)

Legend: shows what each colour means

Title text is larger than the label text

Section E: Spot the Error

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.

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'.

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'.

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'.

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'.