In this ‘How to’ webinar Ray Poynter looks at the way comparisons can be used to help you find and communicate the story in the data. Whenever we compare time periods or compare the views of different groups we are using comparisons. When a retailer explains that 40% of their revenue is generated during the 8 weeks around Christmas and New Year, they are highlighting the importance of these 8 weeks by making a comparison with the rest of the year.
This webinar is a part of a series of How To webinars.
See the whole series at: http://newmr.org/events/2018/how-to-webinars-videos/
This webinar was live on 6th February 2019.
16. Which countries are most similar/different?
Charting the data makes the comparison with Hong Kong and
Myanmar even clearer.
Distance from 日本 Distance
日本 0
Korea (Rep. of) 21
New Zealand 22
Philippines 34
Australia 39
Indonesia 46
Fiji 48
Cambodia 54
Malaysia 64
Viet Nam 69
Thailand 75
China 87
Singapore 101
Myanmar 223
Hong Kong, China 319 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Korea (Rep. of)
New Zealand
Philippines
Australia
Indonesia
Fiji
Cambodia
Malaysia
Viet Nam
Thailand
China
Singapore
Myanmar
Hong Kong, China
Distance from Japan, in terms of
number of phones per 100 people
from 2010 to 2017
18. Key Points
1. Most values are meaningless on their own
• A comparison provides a context for comprehension
2. Choose comparisons that create light
• Usually items the audience is familiar with
3. Create comparisons from the data
• Sub-groups (e.g. male vs female)
• Sorting
• Differences and Similarities
4. Use comparisons to help tell the story
• Japan is similar to the mean
• Hong Kong and Myanmar are very different to Japan
These four steps highlight how we can use comparisons to help
find and tell the story in data.