Lie factor and it's impact on visualisation
summary
Defines lie factor = visualization effect / data effect and shows a recreated Gapminder in Tableau (x fertility, y life expectancy, color = continent, size = population, animation + trails) to demonstrate faithful encoding. Gives a concrete counterexample: a fuel‑economy graphic comparing 1985 and 1987 produces a lie factor of 14.8 where the acceptable range 0.95–1.05 is violated. Explains squaring/area exaggeration in bubbles, how 3D pies hide equal slices, and recommends linear scales, no 3D, and breaking complex views into interactive layers.
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chapters (9)
- 0:00Introduction to Lie factor
- 1:26History of visualization
- 4:17Early visualization examples
- 7:30Modern visualization dimensions
- 11:48What is Lie factor
- 13:11Lie factor formula explained
- 16:29Lie factor in 2D and 3D
- 19:16Case study on 3D graphs
- 22:06Key takeaways and conclusion
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