Assignment 1 (Datawrapper)
a)
Short description of choices
For the line chart displaying the number of operational nuclear reactors, I used red as a standout color to enhance visibility. Additionally, I filled in the area before the line to emphasize the increasing values. Additionally, I incorporated accessibility descriptions for the sake of clarity. Instead of labeling the y line as the number of reactors mentioned in the subtitle, I added a red line next to it to aid in reader understanding. To avoid repetition, I didn't add the same label above the "y" axis.
b)
Short description of choices
For the second chart, I selected the G20 countries and assigned a value to each country's electrical capacity. I chose green as the color, as it is more closely associated with energy. Additionally, I added the source of the Generation PRIS database to the footers. I gave the explanation of the "y" axis in subtitles, which is Megawatt (MW), and I didn't name the "x" axis as the names of the countries themselves are explicable.
c) Answer the following questions. Write the answers in your post.
Keep the questions in mind, as they will serve as a helpful guide for you in the future:
Smartphone: How do the charts appear on your smartphone? Have you faced any issues while accessing them?
No, so far I haven't experienced any difficulties accessing them on my smartphone.
Have you followed the checklist for visualizations (every step)?
Yes, every step of the checklist is followed.
Colours: How easy or difficult is changing colours using the tool?
It's fairly easy, but the variety of colours is limited; you cannot pick up the colour out of the grid or shade of the colour provided.
Text/Labels: How easy or difficult is it to work with text and labels in the tool?
You cannot label "x" and "y" axes on their own; you have to create text annotation and move it on your own to the place above the axes to make it seem as labeled. Besides that, it's user-friendly and easy.
Flexibility: How flexible are the tools? Can you make the changes you need?
Tools are flexible for simple, not graphically demanding data. However, I think that if you want to make more visual changes or additions to your data, it's not the best option to choose, as all the parameters are limited to a few options.
Accessibility: What are the different accessibility options provided by the tools?
There is a textual representation choice for screen readers, making it accessible by replacing the automatic text description created by Datawrapper.
Assignment 2 (Flourish)
a)
b)
c) Answer the following questions (yes, once again!). Write the answers in your post:
Smartphone: How do the charts appear on your smartphone? Have you faced any issues while accessing them?
The statistics look a little bit shrunk, but the rest is accessible, and it looks the same as a desktop version.
Have you followed the checklist for visualizations (every step)?
Yes, I followed the checklist. ( yes, every step.)
Colours: How easy or difficult is changing colours using the tool?
It is simple and provides a variety of options for selecting a color, including a custom palette, columns and rows, or the ability to select specific colors individually.
Text/Labels: How easy or difficult is it to work with text and labels in the tool?
There is no specific area for showing the author's name; you can put it under the notes, but you still have to write next to the explanation of the footers. Overall, it is easier to work because it provides separate text areas for writing information.
Flexibility: How flexible are the tools? Can you make the changes you need?
It's flexible for making changes and offers more graphical but user-friendly options that you can apply to your chart.
Accessibility: What are the different accessibility options provided by the tools?
It provides a text alternative for visual data in a screen reader. Flourish doesn't offer any additional options besides that one.
Assignment 3 (Comparison)
- In what context do you think Datawrapper is the best tool, and why? When would you not use it?Datawrapper is the best tool for simple data that doesn't require complex visualization and aesthetics. If I needed complex visualisations with lots of graphic elements, I wouldn't use Datawrapper; it's best for visually simple charts that enhance my article without any visual elements.
- What are the main benefits of using Datawrapper? The main benefit of using Datawrapper is getting customized interactive charts based on the data that you uploaded, and every part of the offered chart is customizable by choosing specific settings. Overall, it saves the author's time and offers interactive visualizations for the readers, making the data more appealing and understandable at the same time.
- In what context do you think Flourish is the best tool, and why? When would you not use it? In my opinion, Flourish is the best tool for creating visually demanding charts and graphics for your specific work; it provides a wide range of graphic features with various variables that you can easily select from. Overall, it's customizable, more dynamic, and offers animated designs for more visually pleasing storytelling.
- What are the main benefits of using Flourish? As I previously mentioned, it is customizable, easy to navigate, and offers a wider range of designs than other platforms.
- Which of the tools do you personally prefer so far?
- I prefer Flourish over Datawrapper, especially for investigative projects, as most of them involve complex data and infographics, and I think with Flourish it would be easier to depict facts in an engaging way for readers to stick to the story till the end and understand the data better through various visually entertaining options.