Exploration
The Same Data, Four Ways
Students create four graphs from the same dataset — dramatic, discouraging, boring, and honest — and discover how much design choices shape the story a graph tells.
Using the data below, create four different line graphs. You can draw them by hand or use a tool like Google Sheets. Change the y-axis range, the starting point, or which years you include — but don't change the data itself.
This is a fictional company's revenue data.
| Year | Revenue ($M) |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 100 |
| 2020 | 105 |
| 2021 | 101 |
| 2022 | 108 |
| 2023 | 110 |
1.Graph 1: Make the company look like it's growing dramatically.
2.Graph 2: Make the company look like it struggled or stalled.
3.Graph 3: Make everything look stable and unremarkable.
4.Graph 4: Make a graph you'd describe as the most honest representation.
5.What specifically did you change between graphs?
6.Which graph would you use if you were a company executive presenting to investors?
7.Which would a journalist use for a story about the company's rough patch?
8.What makes Graph 4 feel more honest than the others? Is it just about the y-axis?