Data Visualization: Quantitative vs. Qualitative

Quantitative data is information about quantities; that is, information that can be measured and written down with numbers. Some other aspects to consider about quantitative data:

• Focuses on numbers
• Can be displayed through graphs, charts, tables, and maps
• Data can be displayed over time (such as a line chart)

Bar Graph

A diagram in which the numerical values of variables are represented by the height or length of lines or rectangles of equal width.

Histogram

A diagram consisting of rectangles whose area is proportional to the frequency of a variable and whose width is equal to the class interval.

Pie Chart

A type of graph in which a circle is divided into sectors that each represent a proportion of the whole.

Scatter Plot

A scatter plot is a graph in which the values of two variables are plotted along two axes, the pattern of the resulting points revealing any correlation present.

Qualitative data is information about qualities; information that can't actually be measured.  Some other aspects to consider about qualitative data:

• Represented through pictures that explore the data in a visual way
• Visual representations focus on the themes found in the data
• Can tell a story
• Can also be displayed graphically as a pie chart or bar graph, the same as quantitative data, however, this can be tricky and can be done incorrectly easily

Word Clouds

A word cloud is an image composed of words used in a particular text or subject, in which the size of each word indicates its frequency or importance.

Graphic Timelines

A timeline is a type of chart which visually shows a series of events in chronological order over a linear timescale. The power of a timeline is that it is graphical, which makes it easy to understand critical milestones, such as the progress of a project schedule.