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COMM2501
Assessment Critical Analysis
• • •
1
Analysis of “Under the Influence”
“Under the Influence” is an interactive online data visualisation of various alcohol statistics, drinking
trends, and side effects of consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. The data sets utilised range from
geographically grouped alcohol consumption statistics, trend data over a time series ranging from
1960s – 2020 and health effects clustered according to organs.
Motive
I chose this data visualisation due to its insightful nature and engaging components. Alcohol is a large
part of Australian culture, financial institutions culture and university social life, making this a very
relevant topic for those in my demographic. My attention was caught by the animated introductory
screen and the webpage is incredibly detailed, containing more than 10 different data visualisations. I
was especially engaged by their interactive components, featuring a trend estimation exercise and a
diagnosis quiz. The dataset utilised also contains very recent and relevant data up to 2020, serving as a
great conduit for spreading awareness regarding the consequences of excessive drinking.
Assessment 2: Critical Analysis
• • •
2
Data Story
This webpage has a beautifully woven data
story with a distinct linear structure which
slowly delves into more complex details and
topics. The website is able to connect all five
“Components of a Data Story.” (Heeg, R.
2015)
The introductory hook immediately provides
context and identifies the target audience –
those above the drinking age. This draws an
explanatory focus by providing the striking
statistic of alcohol use disorder. Typography
and font were used effectively for emphasis.
Subsequently, the webpage takes the user
through a journey by first introducing various
statistics and trends around the world through
visual representations and geographic heat
maps.
Next, the focus is drawn back on the main idea of the
health impacts of alcohol, supplemented by a detailed
tree map. The webpage then introduces an infographic
containing descriptions of victim’s stories followed by
further generic statistics on Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).
These stories provide an emotional connection to the
audience as an effective approach to narrative.
Improvements to Flow
To improve the flow of the narrative, I would suggest
presenting the generic statistics before the victim’s stories
to provide additional context behind these stories.
Interactivity
There was a plethora of interactive elements
embedded in the design of the webpage
to personalise the story with relatability and
understandability. These included the
detailed descriptions on hover, the trend
prediction exercise, and the AUD quiz. I was
more compelled to read more about the
case studies after interacting with each
component.
FIGURE 1 INTRODUCTORY HOOK
FIGURE 3 INTERACTIVE QUIZ
FIGURE 2 VICTIM CASE STUDIES
Assessment 2: Critical Analysis
• • •
3
Analytical Methods
“Under The Influence” uses a multitude of data visualisations to present their story. This section will
examine their insights and shortcomings through the lens of Gestalt principles (Wertheimer, 1923) and
William’s Heuristics Analysis (William R., 2018).
Global Alcohol Consumption
FIGURE 4 TOTAL ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
The introduction into global drinking trends is presented through a bar graph of total alcohol
consumption. The comparison to the international average gives clarity to the relative consumption of
different countries. Canva’s analysis of colour theory (Canva, 2021) supports how colour intensity is used
effectively from dark to light to represent the “overpowering” amount alcohol consumed,
Recommendations
Since this DV aims to portray impactful statistics to the audience, having a clear context is essential
(Sanchez, 2020). The context in this DV could be improved by providing the units in terms of average
daily alcohol consumption rather than yearly consumption, to enhance relatability for the audience, as
a stakeholder.
Geographic Heat Map
The next visualisation was an
interactive geographic heat
map. The additional statistics
which appear on hover were
detailed and informative.
Recommendations
Unfortunately, it was difficult to differentiate between the ranges of 10 – 15, which were quite similar in
shade, misleading the user through the similarity Gestalt principle (Wertheimer, 1923). This DV could be
significantly improved by increasing the range of colours into lighter and deeper shades to create a
more effective contrast between different countries.
FIGURE 5 GEOGRAPHICAL HEAT MAP
ON CONSUMPTION
Assessment 2: Critical Analysis
• • •
4
Stacked Bar Chart - Ranking of Countries
FIGURE 6 RANKING OF COUNTRIES
Next, was a stacked bar char of the individuals in a certain drinking category. This was one of the more
confusing graphs on the webpage which introduced bias by using the wrong graph type (Mccready,
2020). The use of percentages alongside a stacked bar char resulted in a confusing y-axis with
percentages greater than 100. I would suggest separating out the different categories in distinct bar
graphs to increase the clarity of this data visualisation.
Recommendations
The colours for “people who drank last year” and “never drink” were more similar than those “who
never drank last year” and “never drank at all”, creating bias by going against conventions. Thus, this
DV could be significantly improved by rehauling the colour scheme, with a positive/light colour such as
green representing those who rarely drink, and a darker/red colour for those who drink excessively.
Furthermore, the x-scale was disorientating, as countries were sorted in no particular order, violating the
Gestalt principle of continuity and failing the “Heuristic of Consistency”, H9, (Wertheimer, 1923) when
compared to Figure 4. A recommendation for this data visualisation would be to sort the countries in
descending/ascending order of their percentages.
Finally, the caption text was occluding the legend text which was symptom of usability issues through
the “Spatial Organisation Heuristic” (H1). This could be resolved through repositioning the legend.
Assessment 2: Critical Analysis
• • •
5
Health Impacts from
Alcohol
Another subsection was the
health impact. Unfortunately, this
DV does not fulfill the heuristic of
“Data Set Reduction” (H4) as
there is too much data crowded
into one graph with a lack of any
mean of filtering. The positioning
of bar graphs on each leaf node
to accentuate their values are
not accompanied by a scale
and do not enhance the DV.
Recommendations
A percentage of deaths may be
more appropriate for the scale,
as using “number of deaths”
deters understanding of their
relative threats. This DV could be
further simplified by removing
effects with null data and
grouping by how common the
side effect is.
Overall Recommendations &
Reflection
In general, “Under the Influence” was an engaging visual experience with an
insightful message on the consequences of excessive drinking. Overall
improvements would be to focus on reorganisation the texts and labels for a
more seamless reading experience. Furthermore, the revision of scale and a
more appropriate choice of colours for all of the visualisations would have
aided understanding of the core concepts. In the future, support for mobile
accessibility would also be a great addition.
In summary, I learnt that the frightening side effects of drinking affect a
significant proportion of the population and should not be taken lightly.
FIGURE 7 TREE MAP OF HEALTH IMPACTS
FIGURE 9 INCOHERENT MOBILE
RENDERING OF THE WEBPAGE
FIGURE 8 CLOSING TYPOGRAPHY
Assessment 2: Critical Analysis