the width is longer than the height. The graphs in Figure C12-11 illustrate the Golden Rectangle principle. The graphs on the left shows the ideal shape (a rectangle that is wider than it is high) and the graph on the right shows that it is better to have the “cause” on the x-axis (horizontal axis) and the effect (impact, or outcome, or result) on the y-axis (vertical axis). Figure C12-11: The “Golden Rectangle” Principle of Graph Design Lesser height
Effect
Greater width
Cause
Source: Tufte, 2001
•
Do not deliberately mislead people with data that distort the truth. The impression created by the graph in Figure C12-12 is that expenditure has dramatically decreased in the past 3 years in all three ministries. Upon closer inspection, it is clear that the data for 2009 are only for half of the year (see red circle) and that it is a distortion of the trend to compare this with the data for the other three full years. Figure C12-12: Do Not Deliberately Distort the Data 70000
60000
50000 2006 40000 2007 2008
30000
First half of 2009 20000
10000
0 Ministry of Education
Ministry of Transport
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Chapter 12
Using Information to Improve Results
Ministry of Health