Comments on: Fail: Area Circles on Wall Street http://flowingdata.com/2009/02/16/fail-area-circles-on-wall-street/ Strength in Numbers Wed, 23 May 2012 21:06:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Kiko Llaneras http://flowingdata.com/2009/02/16/fail-area-circles-on-wall-street/#comment-24264 Kiko Llaneras Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:56:25 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1371#comment-24264 I also think that circles (2D) were not convenient, so I decide to use a bar chart. I also doubt about using relative or absolute magnitude and I decide to use both. In addition, I think that the data could be successfully represented with a table. You can find my suggestions here: http://www.ensilicio.com/2009/02/una-grafica-con-el-valor-de-los-bancos-despues-de-la-crisis.html Regards. I also think that circles (2D) were not convenient, so I decide to use a bar chart. I also doubt about using relative or absolute magnitude and I decide to use both.

In addition, I think that the data could be successfully represented with a table.

You can find my suggestions here:
http://www.ensilicio.com/2009/.....risis.html

Regards.

]]> By: Una gráfica con el valor de los bancos después de la crisis http://flowingdata.com/2009/02/16/fail-area-circles-on-wall-street/#comment-24252 Una gráfica con el valor de los bancos después de la crisis Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:48:17 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1371#comment-24252 [...] hace semanas circula por ahí una gráfica de JP Morgan que compara el valor bursátil de varios bancos antes y después [...] [...] hace semanas circula por ahí una gráfica de JP Morgan que compara el valor bursátil de varios bancos antes y después [...]

]]> By: What Once Was And Shall Never Be Again… « In One Ear… Out the Other http://flowingdata.com/2009/02/16/fail-area-circles-on-wall-street/#comment-23904 What Once Was And Shall Never Be Again… « In One Ear… Out the Other Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:29:14 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1371#comment-23904 [...] they can no longer leverage any liquidity from their meager holdings, you might want to take a look at this graph, with statistics prepared by JP [...] [...] they can no longer leverage any liquidity from their meager holdings, you might want to take a look at this graph, with statistics prepared by JP [...]

]]> By: EJ Fox http://flowingdata.com/2009/02/16/fail-area-circles-on-wall-street/#comment-23897 EJ Fox Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:10:19 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1371#comment-23897 That's incredibly helpful, thank you Charvak! That’s incredibly helpful, thank you Charvak!

]]> By: Charvak Karpe http://flowingdata.com/2009/02/16/fail-area-circles-on-wall-street/#comment-23894 Charvak Karpe Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:21:50 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1371#comment-23894 To create area-based circles, use the SQRT() function in Excel to transform the data into its square root so that the relative areas of the circles come out correctly in Illustrator or something. For instance, if you're trying to plot circles to represent values of 100, 289, 400, you can just set the circle diameters to 10, 17, and 20 so that the areas have the right proportions. To create area-based circles, use the SQRT() function in Excel to transform the data into its square root so that the relative areas of the circles come out correctly in Illustrator or something. For instance, if you’re trying to plot circles to represent values of 100, 289, 400, you can just set the circle diameters to 10, 17, and 20 so that the areas have the right proportions.

]]> By: EJ Fox http://flowingdata.com/2009/02/16/fail-area-circles-on-wall-street/#comment-23893 EJ Fox Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:04:20 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1371#comment-23893 The problem, I think, stems from the technology. I wouldn't be surprised if the creator of this graphic used an application like Illustrator to make it. There is no easily-apparent way to make circles based on area in Illustrator, and if there is a way, hidden deep in those menus, I'd be very curious to know it. What application do you use to create area-based circles? The problem, I think, stems from the technology. I wouldn’t be surprised if the creator of this graphic used an application like Illustrator to make it.

There is no easily-apparent way to make circles based on area in Illustrator, and if there is a way, hidden deep in those menus, I’d be very curious to know it.

What application do you use to create area-based circles?

]]> By: Attention aux graphiques dans vos reportings « Not Just BI http://flowingdata.com/2009/02/16/fail-area-circles-on-wall-street/#comment-23890 Attention aux graphiques dans vos reportings « Not Just BI Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:06:30 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1371#comment-23890 [...] Source Tags: Analyse, Reporting [...] [...] Source Tags: Analyse, Reporting [...]

]]> By: Andy Woodruff http://flowingdata.com/2009/02/16/fail-area-circles-on-wall-street/#comment-23881 Andy Woodruff Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:45:07 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1371#comment-23881 "Circles are 2-dimensional shapes. You can't use them and expect people to compare two circles by diameter, a 1-D metric." I like to maintain (mostly based on anecdotal evidence and hearsay, but at least occasionally from credible sources) that you can't expect people to compare them on two dimensions, either, at least not very well. Might as well use something a little more 1-D. I think the bar graph alternatives in the Big Picture post are much more effective than circles for this kind of information. “Circles are 2-dimensional shapes. You can’t use them and expect people to compare two circles by diameter, a 1-D metric.”

I like to maintain (mostly based on anecdotal evidence and hearsay, but at least occasionally from credible sources) that you can’t expect people to compare them on two dimensions, either, at least not very well. Might as well use something a little more 1-D. I think the bar graph alternatives in the Big Picture post are much more effective than circles for this kind of information.

]]> By: David Smith http://flowingdata.com/2009/02/16/fail-area-circles-on-wall-street/#comment-23879 David Smith Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:00:06 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1371#comment-23879 The "fixed" chart is definitely an improvement in the sense that the areas are proportional to the values they represent, but circles aren't a particularly good way to represent data in any case. (See: pie charts.) As suggested in a comment to this post ( http://blog.revolution-computing.com/2009/02/graphic-literacy-improving.html ) about the original chart, a simple dot chart would be a better way of looking at the data. You can see an example here: http://addictedtor.free.fr/graphiques/RGraphGallery.php?graph=150 The “fixed” chart is definitely an improvement in the sense that the areas are proportional to the values they represent, but circles aren’t a particularly good way to represent data in any case. (See: pie charts.) As suggested in a comment to this post ( http://blog.revolution-computi.....oving.html ) about the original chart, a simple dot chart would be a better way of looking at the data. You can see an example here: http://addictedtor.free.fr/gra.....?graph=150

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