Look only at uncertainty and it can feel overwhelming. Look at just averages and it’s not enough information. So, smoosh them together.

Welcome to another edition of Misleading or Not, where we decide if a map is misleading or not.

Constraints usually seem like a bad thing. Less freedom. You can’t do exactly what you want to do. You’re limited. But sometimes constraints can lead you towards unexpected paths.

You gotta walk before you crawl. Wait a minute.

Here’s the good stuff for August 2020.

Last month I did a short Q&A about FD and my workflow. I thought I’d elaborate on one of my answers.

This past month an old chart type poked its head out from behind the trees and I’m here for it.

We know the big ones. Now here are the small ones. Focused. Efficient.

Here’s the good stuff for July.

This week, people were taking a closer look at the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Covid-19 status page (again), which led to an unnecessary pile-on.

There were rumblings this week about visualizing data automatically. Got a dataset? Plug it in to some software, and you’ve got that amazing visualization you’ve been looking for. Just like magic. That’s always the promise at least.

Unique charts and visual encodings are worth exploring, but what about traditional charts? Also, a members’ preview of a new chart catalogue.

Sometimes a chart type seems terrible. But you’ll never know until you try.

Here’s the good stuff for June.

If you’re looking for visual inspiration, one or two centuries back is a good place to start.

The right baseline provides a way to compare everything else in a useful way. The wrong baseline makes the rest of the data useless.

Keep your eyes open.

Every month I collect useful visualization tools and resources to make better charts. Here’s the good stuff for May.

The Georgia Department of Public Health published a questionable chart showing confirmed Covid-19 cases over time. Intentionally misleading or poorly made chart?

This issue of The Process is public.

Hi,

Nathan here. This is The Process, the weekly newsletter for FlowingData members where I look at charts closer.

This issue is public, but if you’d like to support FlowingData, becoming a member is the best way to do it. Membership keeps the blog running as a free resource for everyone and gets you bonus access to tutorials, courses, and more.

A new tutorial on animated charts went up yesterday. Maarten Lambrechts explains step-by-step, using the ggplot and gganimate packages in R.

This week, I follow up on the coronavirus visual rundown from two months ago, when there were only 1,190 confirmed cases in the United States. (omg.) A lot has happened since then.

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