Project Milestone 2: Data Visualization
I306 Statistics for Informatics
Overview
Building on your Milestone 1 exploratory analysis, this milestone focuses on creating effective visualizations that reveal patterns, relationships, and distributions in your data.
Due: End of Week 8 Points: 40
Requirements
Create a minimum of 5 visualizations that explore different aspects of your dataset. Your visualizations should include at least:
- One visualization showing the distribution of a numeric variable
- One visualization showing the distribution of a categorical variable
- One visualization showing the relationship between two numeric variables
- One visualization showing the relationship between a numeric and categorical variable
- One visualization of your choice that reveals something interesting about your data
Deliverables
Submit a Quarto document (.qmd) and its rendered PDF containing:
1. Visualizations (25 points)
For each visualization:
- Include a clear, descriptive title
- Label axes appropriately (with units if applicable)
- Use color purposefully (not just decoratively)
- Include a figure caption
Use ggplot2 for all visualizations.
2. Narrative Interpretation (15 points)
For each visualization, write 2-3 sentences explaining:
- Explain why you chose to present this visualization in this assignment
- What pattern or relationship the visualization reveals
- Why this is interesting or important for understanding your data
- Any limitations or caveats (e.g., outliers, missing data)
Visualization Guidelines
Apply the principles we’ve discussed in class:
- Choose the right plot type for your data and question
- Avoid chartjunk—maximize data-ink ratio
- Use informative labels, not variable names
- Consider your audience
Suggested Plot Types
| Data Type | Recommended Plots |
|---|---|
| One numeric | Histogram, density plot, boxplot |
| One categorical | Bar chart |
| Two numeric | Scatterplot, line plot |
| Numeric + Categorical | Side-by-side boxplots, faceted histograms |
| Two categorical | Stacked/grouped bar chart, mosaic plot |
Submission
Submit your .qmd file and rendered rendered output (PDF or HTML) to Canvas by the due date.
Grading Rubric
| Component | Points | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Visualization 1 | 5 | Correct type, properly formatted |
| Visualization 2 | 5 | Correct type, properly formatted |
| Visualization 3 | 5 | Correct type, properly formatted |
| Visualization 4 | 5 | Correct type, properly formatted |
| Visualization 5 | 5 | Correct type, properly formatted |
| Narrative | 15 | Insightful interpretations for each visualization |
Tips
- Don’t just make plots—tell a story with your data
- Each visualization should answer a specific question
- Consider what you learned in Milestone 1 when deciding what to visualize
- If you notice something unexpected, explore it further