Critique
Once you have selected your visualization, explain the data being shown (type and semantics).
Describe the visual encodings employed. That is, put into words what the visualization is trying to show.
Next, critique the visualization: what works and what doesn’t?
Is the visualization clear or is it misleading? Do you like it, and why? What could be improved?
You should evaluate the visualization based on perceptual principles.
The best way to go about doing this is to base your critique on the Marks and Channels framework (Munzner’s textbook chapter 5 .
You should list the channels used in the visualization and describe the variables that are mapped to the channels.
Describe the type of variable used (e.g., categorical, interval, or ratio), and discuss whether the channel is a good match for your variable.
Your critique should also consider the perceptual accuracy of the channel, and whether the designer of the visualization could have chosen a more appropriate channel.
Outline of your critique document to roughly answer the following:
Introduction and link to the visualization
What data attribute can be seen from the visualization? What questions can we answer with the visualization?
How is the visualization depicting the data? What visual channels (e.g., color, circle sizes, bar length, etc…) are being used to illustrate the different attributes?
How effective is the above visual encodings?
Is the visualization truthful, or does it attempt to mislead? Why?
What is your overall impression of the visualization? Do you like it? Why?
What can you do to make it more effective?