Purpose of a data visualisation: presentation of information

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. What is the main purpose of a presentation visualisation?

A To clearly communicate findings to an audience

B To let the analyst hunt for unknown patterns in raw data

2. Which title is better for a presentation visualisation?

A Year 12 study hours rose 20% after the new timetable

B Chart 1: Study hours data

3. Before designing a presentation visualisation, what should you consider first?

A Who the audience is and what they need to know

B How many colours and effects the software offers

4. How should the key message appear in a presentation visualisation?

A Hidden among many equally prominent details

B Obvious, for example highlighted or stated in the title

5. A presentation for a school council is full of unexplained jargon and tiny text. What is wrong?

A Nothing, because more detail is always better

B It does not suit the audience, so the message is unclear

Match the Pairs

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

Left column		Right column
1presentation visualisation		AThe wording does not suit the audience, so the findings are not communicated clearly
2Key message: Sales rose 20% in Term 2		BA visualisation that clearly shows findings to an audience, with a polished design that makes the key message obvious
3A presentation visualisation is pitched at its audience, so the title states the finding in plain language		CHighlight the Term 2 column in dark blue; show all other columns in light grey
4Polished design keeps the message obvious by highlighting one key series and muting the others		DTitle: Most students prefer online learning
5A chart with 12 bright colours, no title and no clear takeaway		EThe design is cluttered and has no obvious key message, so the audience cannot tell what the findings are
6Audience: Year 7 students. Chart labels use terms like 'standard deviation of residuals'		FA single clear takeaway that the visualisation makes obvious to the audience, such as through a headline title

Definitions

presentation visualisation

Fill in the Blanks

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

visual.purpose = "____________"

________ = "Year 12 students"

___________ = "Sales rose 20% in 2024" chart.title = key_message

chart._____ = "Sales rose 20% in 2024"

visual.design = "________"

Spot the Error

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

Question 1

A purpose = "exploration"

B audience = "school board"

C message = "Sales rose 20%"

D chart = "column"

Question 2

A audience = "not decided"

B language = "plain"

C title = "Teens sleep 7 hours"

Question 3

A purpose = "presentation"

B title = "Rainfall data"

C accent = "May bar in red"

Question 4

A purpose = "presentation"

B audience = "parents"

C message = "none yet"

Question 5

A audience = "Year 7 parents"

B jargon = "use lots"

C font_size = 18

Answer Key

Purpose of a data visualisation: presentation of information

Section A: Quick Questions

A — To clearly communicate findings to an audience

A — Year 12 study hours rose 20% after the new timetable

A — Who the audience is and what they need to know

B — Obvious, for example highlighted or stated in the title

B — It does not suit the audience, so the message is unclear

Section B: Match the Pairs

presentation visualisation → A visualisation that clearly shows findings to an audience, with a polished design that makes the key message obvious

Key message: Sales rose 20% in Term 2 → A single clear takeaway that the visualisation makes obvious to the audience, such as through a headline title

A presentation visualisation is pitched at its audience, so the title states the finding in plain language → Title: Most students prefer online learning

Polished design keeps the message obvious by highlighting one key series and muting the others → Highlight the Term 2 column in dark blue; show all other columns in light grey

A chart with 12 bright colours, no title and no clear takeaway → The design is cluttered and has no obvious key message, so the audience cannot tell what the findings are

Audience: Year 7 students. Chart labels use terms like 'standard deviation of residuals' → The wording does not suit the audience, so the findings are not communicated clearly

Section C: Definitions

presentation visualisation — A visualisation that clearly shows findings to an audience, with a polished design that makes the key message obvious.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

visual.purpose = "presentation"

audience = "Year 12 students"

key_message = "Sales rose 20% in 2024"
chart.title = key_message

chart.title = "Sales rose 20% in 2024"

visual.design = "polished"

Section E: Spot the Error

A — Exploration is for an analyst searching for patterns. A visualisation that communicates findings to an audience has the purpose "presentation".

A — A presentation visualisation is designed for a specific audience. The audience must be named, for example "Year 11 students", so the design suits them.

B — A vague title does not make the key message obvious. It should state the finding, for example "Rain doubled in May".

C — A presentation visualisation must make its key message obvious. The message should state the finding, for example "Attendance up 5%".

B — Technical jargon confuses a general audience. For parents the visualisation should avoid jargon and use plain language.