The Presidential Primary Results

The results of the primaries on Super Tuesday were very interesting to watch - and not just because of the historic changes in our choices or the dollars invested in campaigning.  The interesting part to me was the way in which each of the news venues displayed the numbers.  Apparently, they have decided that providing election results in numeric form is just not good enough.

I could not help noticing all of the different technologies that were being employed - from the touch screen map that expanded or contracted based on the reporters' focus, the "what-if" analysis of different elections on the candidates' delegate counts (shown on an adjustable pie chart), or the various numbers behind the numbers showing how different groups voted for different candidates.  I think they were on the right track in terms of finding ways to make the results more interesting and vivid, but in some cases the whirling, moving, expanding, contrasting graphics made it hard for me to concentrate on the message. 

I was not the only one who noticed.  The Daily Show featured a segment this week on this very subject. The Fox News spinning pie chart that moved with Anderson Cooper's head was their favorite misused graphic.

So in summary, visuals are usually better than just numbers, numbers in context are better than stand-alone figures, and "what-if" views of information are more lively than static results.  Just use these different techniques sparingly in your presentations so your message doesn't get lost in a sea of dazzling special effects.