Simple Charts to Graphs, Design Rationale

Due to the size of the images of my chart and graph, I have posted each, as well as this design rationale, as separate posts.

My goal for the chart was to create an easy-to-read, well-spaced and visually simple table which would convey the information of students' ethnic demographics for 2010.  Do do this, I merged a series of cells and centered the text figures.  I filled the title box with light blue, so as to highlight the chart's purpose without being too polarizing.  In order to minimize black lines, I used them only where absolutely necessary, and alternated the horizontal cells between white and light yellow, so as to distinguish the different cells without appearing confusing.

I created the bar graph using a program online similar to Excel; it was a simple process that was totally effective other than the fact that I was not able to choose varying colors for the bars.  There are also too many black lines behind the bars, not complying with Occam's Razor or Tufte's rule.  If I did the graph over, I would be sure to fix these problems.
This project helped me to understand how information can be translated from completely simple, 2-dimensional form to 3-dimensional graphic form.  Oddly enough, though, I would have preferred to create these graphs using paper and ink.  I feel I have more of a connection with this medium, and would be able to create a more attractive visual with more variation.

Simple Tables to Graphs, Cont'd

Simple Tables to Graphs: RWU Student Demographics

Roger Williams University 2010 Student Demographics
Ethnicity	Number of Students
White (Non-Hispanic)	3,480
Unknown	789
Hispanic	93
Black (Non-Hispanic)	62
Asian or Pacific Islander	59
American Indian/Alaska Native	14

 

Flow Charts

  

The two flow charts were fairly easy to produce, mainly because the processes for 1) researching "cognitive load" using Google Scholar and 2) purchasing a book on Amazon.com are simple and straight forward.  Though for as easy as they may seem to a seasoned internet user, they might prove more difficult for someone who is new to computers; I tried to compensate for this as much as possible by making the charts very detailed.

With each flow chart, I began by instructing the user to log into a specific web address, i.e. scholar.google.com or amazon.com.  From there, I arranged the various options in standard flow chart order, being sure to utilize the proper shapes for beginning, ending, steps, and questions.

What I gained most from this exercise was exactly how to organize a flow chart.  Having spent as much time on them as I did, I feel I now have a grip on the concepts behind the process.  In the future, I'd like to try making flow charts that explain more complex ideas, with more variables and paths.  I'd also like to be able to use more shapes, as the processes for these charts were essentially limited to ovals, diamonds, and rectangles.

Explanation Graphic-How an Engine Works

To accompany my visual essay, I chose to draw a graphic explaining how an internal combustion engine works.  I chose this idea because, for one, it is familiar to me; I have always been interested in cars.  Secondly, the process that motivates our vehicles is extremely complex and I wanted to showcase it in a more simple light.

Of course, there are many processes that occur within a gasoline engine which I have not shown, but the action that gets the car going is explained in detail.  I attempted to make the drawings as life-like as possible, and I achieved this by drawing two cutaway figures so that it appears the viewer is looking into the engine.  I tried to depict the various elements as realistically as possible, especially with regard to color (coolant is green, oil is golden, and the metal composites that engine blocks are made from are silvery-grey).  I also chose to represent intake (fresh) air as blue, while exhaust was brown to delineate the difference between the two, before and after the combustion.

Spaghetti Dinner Graphic

In order to convey the instructions of how to make a spaghetti dinner using visuals alone, my goal was to utilize simple and instantly recognizable images.  These images needed to be easily identifiable to the viewer, regardless of their native tongue, or if they were able to read at all.

As such, the steps I depicted were simple yet graphic.  I first drew an image of a pot of boiling water (which I clarified with small text saying "100 degrees C", to signify that the water must boil before adding the pasta.  I then showed the boiling water with pasta added, still stiff and not having been cooked.  I then used a clock with the space between 1 and 2 highlighted, to signify the amount of time (10 minutes) necessary for the noodles to fully cook through.  After this time, I depicted the noodles as having softened, at which point I drew them inside a strainer to signify that they must be emptied from the pot of water.  Then, the visual proceeds as you would when making a pasta dish, from heating up the marinara sauce (I assumed a ready-made sauce was to be utilized, for the sake of simplicity and ease of understanding) to serving the pasta with the sauce.

Overall, I learned how to show the simple process of preparing an elementary spaghetti dinner using only pictures.  At some points, I was challenged with how to condense the process and simplify it as much as possible, to avoid becoming cumbersome and complicating it.  I was also presented with the problem of how to organize and synchronize the images, as it is intended for audiences which may include those who read left to right as opposed to right to left.  To solve this, I used arrows that guide the eye from one step to the next, alternating in a zig-zag pattern in both directions.  I feel I did a good job of showing even the least experienced chef how to serve spaghetti; it is simple to "read" and understand, making quick work of interpreting the instructions.