2c:null 2d:["$","title",null,{"children":"Notes on Show Me the Numbers | Hamza Amjad | Observable"}] 32:T5aa,introduction = md` ## Introduction > Numbers are central to our understanding of performance. They enable us to make informed decisions. The way we determine success or failure is almost always based primarily on numbers. We derive great value from the stories that numbers tell, yet we rarely consider the significance of how we present them. Always consider -- what is the message? Graphs should include important contextual information and critical points of comparison. The design of an object should, in and of itself, suggest how the object should be used. Graphs are objects. Graphs have affordances, the same as any other object. Data-driven signifiers should aid the reader in understanding how to "read" or "use" the graphic(s), enhancing discoverability of affordances. Perspective affects your perception of data. Graphs should be 2D, not using unneccessary 3D effects. A three dimensional perspective can distort a reader's perception of the data. The purpose of quantitative displays is to provide the reader with important, meaningful, and useful insight. Tables and graphs of quantitative business information can be used for four purposes: - Analyzing - Communicating - Monitoring - Planning Charts are a grouping of a large family of display methods, including: - Tables - Graphs - Diagrams - Maps Graphs are perceived almost entirely by our visual system, while tables interact primarily with our verbal system. `33:T4d1,md` ## Simple Statistics to Get You Started > The impact and appeal of information, quantitative or not, flow naturally from the significance and relevance of the message the information contains. As a communicator, it is up to you to give a clear and unhindered voice to that information and its story, using language that is easily understood by your audience. ### Quantitative Relationships Quantitative stories are always about relationships. The relationships involve either: - Simple associations between quantitative values and corresponding categorical items - More complex associations among multiple sets of quantitative values They feature two types of data: - Quantitative: measures things; expressed in units of measure - Categorical: divides information into useful groups #### Relationships Within Categories Categorical items used to label corresponding measures can relate to one another in the following ways: - Nominal - Ordinal - Interval - Hierarchical **Nominal** Values in a single category are discrete and have no intrinsic order. Quantitative values are associated with the corresponding categorical labels, however categorical items are not related to one another in a particular way. `34:[] 30:{"id":"06ddc339d1c3caf2","slug":"notes-on-show-me-the-numbers","title":"Notes on Show Me the Numbers","thumbnail":"7b9fa259c0c4551229720382c6718ab407bade2a728fc7ceb5f586063300326b","access_level":"public","create_time":"$D2021-01-23T01:29:44.863Z","update_time":"$D2021-02-11T19:38:08.914Z","view_time":null,"first_public_time":"$D2021-01-23T03:11:49.434Z","has_unpublished_edits":null,"fork":false,"stars":0,"starred":false,"owner":{"type":"team","id":"94ec2c192e76a917","login":"hamzaamjad","name":"Hamza Amjad","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/5f8ce1ecf5125d1485b2d84a32df05d44154c33343eb404b136c425f2dfb5ebe","tier":"starter_2024"},"version":149,"publish_version":149,"role":null,"authored":false,"authors":[{"type":"individual","id":"9efdccbbde682173","login":"hamzaamjad","name":"Hamza Amjad","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/5f8ce1ecf5125d1485b2d84a32df05d44154c33343eb404b136c425f2dfb5ebe","tier":null}],"members":[{"type":"individual","id":"9efdccbbde682173","login":"hamzaamjad","name":"Hamza Amjad","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/5f8ce1ecf5125d1485b2d84a32df05d44154c33343eb404b136c425f2dfb5ebe","tier":null,"role":"editor"}],"comments":[],"custom_thumbnail":false,"trashed":false,"lapsed":null,"subscribed":null,"forks":0,"collection":null,"type":"notebook","body":{"titling":"auto","title":"Notes on Show Me the Numbers","cells":[{"id":0,"value":"md`\n\n# Notes on *Show Me the Numbers*\n\n*Show Me the Numbers* by Stephen Few\n\nRecreations of graphics in text. Definitions of terms I (1) was unfamiliar with and/or (2) found confusing.\n\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":15,"value":"$32","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":44,"value":"$33","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":68,"value":"table(figure_2_1_data, {\n width: \"150px\",\n align: [null, \"right\"],\n formats: [null, \"($,.0f\"],\n totals: [null, \"sum\"]\n})","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":61,"value":"figure_2_1_data = [\n { Region: 'North', Sales: 139883 },\n { Region: 'East', Sales: 135334 },\n { Region: 'South', Sales: 113939 },\n { Region: 'West', Sales: 188334 }\n]","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":72,"value":"md`\n\n**Ordinal**\n\nCategorical items have a prescibed order. Typical examples include \"first, second, third...\"; \"small, medium and large\"; and \"best salesperson, second best salesperson...\".\n\n**Interval**\n\nCategorical items consist of a sequential series of numerical ranges that subdivide a larger range of quantitative values into smaller ranges. These smaller numerical ranges, called intervals, are arranged in order from smallest to largest.\n\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":82,"value":"table(figure_2_2_data, {\n width: \"350px\",\n layout: \"fixed\",\n cols: ['Order Size (U.S. $)', 'Order Quantity', 'Order Revenue'],\n align: [null, \"right\", \"right\"],\n formats: [null, \"(,.0f\", \"($,.0f\"],\n widths: [\"175px\", \"75px\", \"100px\"],\n totals: [null, \"sum\", \"sum\"]\n})","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":78,"value":"figure_2_2_data = [\n {\n \"Order Size\": \">= 0 and < 1,000\",\n \"Order Quantity\": 17303,\n \"Order Revenue\": 6688467\n },\n {\n \"Order Size\": \">= 1,000 and < 2,000\",\n \"Order Quantity\": 15393,\n \"Order Revenue\": 26117231\n },\n {\n \"Order Size\": \">= 2,000 and < 3,000\",\n \"Order Quantity\": 10399,\n \"Order Revenue\": 29032883\n },\n {\n \"Order Size\": \">= 3,000 and < 4,000\",\n \"Order Quantity\": 2093,\n \"Order Revenue\": 6922416\n },\n {\n \"Order Size\": \">= 4,000 and < 5,000\",\n \"Order Quantity\": 1364,\n \"Order Revenue\": 5805184\n }\n]","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":130,"value":"md`\n\n##### Time-series\n\nTime-series have units of time that represent intervals along a quantitative scale. Time is a quantitative scale that measures duration. \n\n\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":139,"value":"table(figure_2_3_data, {\n //width: \"350px\",\n //layout: \"fixed\",\n align: [null, \"right\", \"right\", \"right\"],\n formats: [null, \"($,.0f\", \"($,.0f\", \"($,.0f\"],\n //widths: [\"175px\", \"75px\", \"100px\"],\n totals: [null, \"sum\", \"sum\", \"sum\"]\n})","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":137,"value":"figure_2_3_data = [\n { Department: \"Marketing\", Jan: 83833, Feb: 93883, Mar: 95939 },\n { Department: \"Sales\", Jan: 38838, Feb: 39848, Mar: 39488 },\n { Department: \"HR\", Jan: 37463, Feb: 37939, Mar: 37483 },\n { Department: \"Finance\", Jan: 13303, Feb: 14303, Mar: 15303 }\n]","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":66,"value":"import { table } from \"@hamzaamjad/tiny-charts\"","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":11,"value":"style = await html`\n\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"}],"files":"$W34","stdlib":"1"}} 31:"$30:body"