Sometimes I wonder if I should just become a chart doctor. Andrew recently wrote that journals should have graphical editors. Businesses also need those, judging from this submission through Twitter (@francesdonald). Link is here.
You don't know whether to laugh or cry at this pie chart:
The author of the article complains that all the tall buildings around the world are cheats: vanity height is defined as the height above which the floors are unoccupied. The sample proportions aren't that different between countries, ranging from 13% to 19% (of the total heights). Why are they added together to make a whole?
The following boxplot illustrates both the average and the variation in vanity heights by region, and tells a more interesting story:
Recall that in a boxplot, the gray box contains the middle 50% of the data and the white line inside the box indicates the median value. UAE has a tendency to inflate the heights more while the other three regions are not much different.
The other graphic included in the same article is only marginally better, despite a much more attractive exterior:
This chart misrepresents the actual heights of the buildings. At first glance, I thought there must be a physical limit to the number of occupied floors since the grayed out sections are equal heights. If the decision has been made to focus on the vanity height, then just don't show the rest of the buildings.
Also, it's okay to assume a minimal intelligence on the part of readers - I mean, is there a need to repeat the "non-occupiable height" label 10 times? Similarly, the use of 10 sets of double asterisks is rather extravagant.