Using Visuals to Present and Explain Qualitative Data

We welcome Lydia Hooper for guest posts about qualitative research uses of data visualization. See Lydia’s previous MethodSpace posts: Using Visuals to Present and Explain Qualitative Data, Using Visuals to Support Your Writing Process, and Share Research Visually. See Lydia’s website to learn more about her work related to using visuals in research and evaluation.

Visual Options for Qualitative Researchers

By Lydia Hooper

As important as exploratory visuals are forincreasing your own clarity and understanding, most of the time they will notbe the same visual you use to help others increase theirs. The visual you mightuse as a tool for your thinking will naturally reflect your own particular wayof thinking. Consider how often you have seen a visual used in a presentationslide that you felt was out of place, that didn’t have enough context for you tounderstand it and therefore left you just more confused.

Whereas I consider exploratory visuals to beabout communicating with the data, explanatory visuals are about communicatingwith others about the data. To be effective, explanatory visuals must reflectthe knowledge and thinking not of the creator but of the viewer. Creating thesedoesn’t come naturally, but it is still well worth the time and effortrequired.

Explanatory visuals have the potential to help us:

• Capture attention - This shouldnot be underestimated; these days attention is in shorter and shorter supply.

• Increase speed of understanding -Let’s face it, many people simply won’t take the time to read a long report.

• Maximize retention - We remembervisuals more easily than just text.

• Stimulate sharing - We also sharethem more frequently.

• Spur action - Visuals are moreemotive; we make decisions based on emotions, using reason to justify ourdecisions afterwards.

Besttypes of visuals for explaining

Whether you intend to share your data in areport, presentation, or other format, consider first the pros and cons of thetype of visual medium you might use:

• Photos - Pros: Fairly easy to findand very evocative. Cons: Less flexible; it can be hard to find somethingprecise.

• Graphics - Pros: Super flexibleand able to be highly technical. Cons: Time consuming to create and generallyare less emotive/approachable.

• Drawings - Pros: Can be veryspecific and appear very inviting. Cons: Steep learning curve at first and canconnote less seriousness.

Once you select the medium(s), you will alsohave to make choices about what to represent visually:

• Objects are great for triggeringspecific memories, for example of foods or household items

• People, especially their faces,are powerful tools for stirring connection and empathy

• Landscapes are good foraccompanying big ideas and key experiences

• Basic symbols or icons usually addlittle meaning but they are good for directing focus to text nearby

If you would like to use a diagram, these are theones most people are familiar with seeing and therefore are best forexplanatory purposes:

• Circle map

• Venn diagram

• Quadrant or 2x2 matrix

• Flow chart

• Feedback loop

Basicdesign tips

After you’ve outlined what you plan to showand how you plan to show it, and it comes time to put pen to paper, it can beeasy to get overwhelmed by all the choices you’ll need to make that willdetermine the specific style of your visuals. Here are some simple guidelinesto follow to help you make the best choices possible.

Don’tuse software defaults. The best way to avoid this isto not start with software. Most design software is not designed to help youwork out ideas. Sketch out ideas ahead of time so you know exactly what youplan to create before you even touch a computer.

Do usecolor and size to help them focus on what’s important.Use clear headings and subheadings for text, ideally that identify the questionthe visual will answer, and use smaller text for any accompanying annotationsor descriptions. Use a limited number of colors; note that blues and greensnaturally fade backward while reds and yellows jump out.

Don’tbog the viewer down with clutter. It will be hard tocapture your viewer’s attention if there are too many things for their eyes tograb onto. This includes too much text, too much color, or visuals that don’tadd meaning. After you are done with your first draft, print it out, then use apen to cross out any elements that aren’t absolutely necessary. Your seconddraft will be so much better. In presentations, follow the 10/20/30 rule (tenslides in twenty minutes and no font smaller than thirty points) and the 5/5/5rule (no more than five words per line of text, five lines of text per slide,or five text-heavy slides in a row).

Dopractice, practice, practice! It is the only way toimprove your skills. To help you make the critical transition from knowledge ofbest practices to application which is the root of true understanding, be sureto get myfree workbook on Using Human-Centered Design to Visualize Qualitative Data!I also offer monthly live online training sessions via myPatreon page.

If you are curious to learn more, you can read this article on my blog and leave me a comment with your questions!