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When there are alternatives that are clearer and also don't have this education problem, why use box plots? You seem quite keen on them, but why?
by mkl 2y ago
When there are alternatives that are clearer and also don't have this education problem, why use box plots? You seem quite keen on them, but why?
- SillyUsername 2y agoThere are a few advantages (see visualization section here pls http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_plot http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_plot ) but my main concern is that the problem is not with the diagram, it's with idea that it's somehow faulty. Sometimes you may want to highlight some core representation of data without the distraction of outliers (yes that does mean some people will use it for deliberate misrepresentation). But in this regard it's useful, as is on bar graphs not starting the vertical at 0 (because you want to illustrate relate difference not absolute amounts).
- Angostura 2y agoThe article doesn’t really argue that they are “faulty” just that there are better alternatives in the large majority of cases. I think he makes a compelling argument
- SillyUsername 2y agoFair enough, it was the comment that "better-designed chart types" that caught my eye. "better designed for general use" should have been the context I read it in.