This week, I was shown a chart that I had to think about whether it was worth it to remake it. Given that this was #MakeoverMonday, I was able to figure out something to change, but it’s always good to think about the reasons why you’re trying to revise something.
What works and doesn't work about the chart?
The point of this chart is to provide a comparison between the sexes and the different priorities that they might have when it comes to Valentine's day.
However, the chart as it is currently isn’t as bad right now as to need immediate revision: it is a perfectly serviceable chart. While it can be improved, it’s always important to note that the chart as it stands is perfectly readable as-is.
The main issue is the way that the chart is categorized. Right now, it is organized by issue: we can see how both men and women responded to a single issue, but it’s hard to get a sense of the overall scope of both men and women’s priorities. We can see that they differ on a number of issues, but we’d have to jump back and forth to try and compile a composite picture of priorities.
If the point is to compare the male and female responses for each category, then the current chart is a decent approach. However, if the purpose is to see the responses of each sex, then a stacked chart may be a better approach.
How can you make this better?
I took the responses from each category and turned it into a stacked bar chart in order to highlight some of the most common key differences between the sexes. Hovering over each category gives the particular percentages, but it’s easier to tell at a glance what are the main priorities for each sex.
While the color scheme is something I’m still iffy on, at the same time it’s easier to see priorities, especially when the top responses are labeled. The less-popular responses are still able to be read when hovering over them with a tooltip, but it’s otherwise de-emphasized.