BISY90009 Managing Information Technology Individual Assignment No. 1
Summer Term 2023
Visualisation of Data
As a practicing business professional, you will on occasion need to communicate through the effective visualisation of data. This assignment will help you explore better practice in visualization of data. Please don’t forget to be creative and have fun with this!
Assignment Tasks
Task 1: Please articulate a framework that allows an individual to critically determine what is a good visualisation” as opposed to a “bad visualisation.” You may use whatever sources you wish (please reference them) and you may use whatever format you wish. We are looking for a model that can be used by a sufficiently skilled professional to assess whether or not a given visualisation meets better practice.
Task 2: Please source a visualisation that is particularly galling (offensive, annoying, you get my drift) to you. You might find a visualization in the press or in business documents. (If all else fails, go grab one from the web... https://badvisualisations.tumblr.com/ has a range). Please source a unique visualization – one that no other student is working on – and reserve your “bad Viz” on the discussion forum. (Please include the screen shot of you “reserving” your bad viz... marks will be deducted if you repeat a visualization that has already been claimed.) Please articulate why you find your selected visualisation such a good example of poor design, using the framework developed in task 1.
Task 3: Using the data implied in your bad visualization from task 2, please create an improved version of that visualization that meets the requirements of better practice you provided in Task 1. It is acceptable (you will not be marked down) if you approximate the data. Please also comment on what you think was the intended audience for the original graphic and the story that they were to take away from that original graphic, and discuss how your improved visualization is more effective in telling that story to that intended audience.
Assignment Requirements
You are required to address the three tasks above in a single ~1,000 word (not including references) document. Please don’t forget to include your visuals.
Please use this as an opportunity to engage with the ideas and stretch yourself. Claiming that a bar chart is bad and a shift to a column chart is a substantial improvement will NOT result in a high mark. Please really get into the mindset of the reader
You may use whatever visualisation tools you wish to complete the assignment. Please note that use of such tools is at your discretion – I am more interested in the quality of your thinking rather than a demonstration of your mastery of a particular toolset. If you need to, just write it out on pencil and paper and send me an image.
I would also encourage you to complete the excel practice modules prior to undertaking this assignment – it may help you.
Your document should be readable, researched, well-presented and grammatically correct. Be sure to list any references you use. The assignment should be submitted using the Assessment Tool in the LMS and it is due at 10 PM on Friday the 20th of January 2023
Page 1