MakeoverMonday: an introduction

Savings

I initially decided to get join forces with Andy Kriebel on MakeoverMonday because I wanted to refresh my dataviz skills. What I didn’t expect was how quickly the project would evolve.

It’s no longer about just making charts. It’s about using a tool to debate data. It’s about improving people’s data literacy.

We must improve society’s data literacy if we are to debate and understand the sometimes deliberately deceptive charts produced by media, business and political organisations.

Each week, everyone involved brings a new perspective to the data. As the day progresses, people challenge and discuss what each version of the chart reveals.

People getting involved later in the day adapt their entries according to the debate that’s already gone ahead. This one from week 5 was an excellent example. Luke made an intentional choice to do something deceptive, even though it falls in the realms of “good practice”, by changing the measures.

This project is not about criticising others. It’s about continually asking new questions of a dataset. It’s about revealing messages in new ways. It’s about improving people’s data literacy. 

Here’s some links so you can get involved:

  • The datasets are posted here each Sunday evening or Monday morning.
  • Here’s a Pinterest board showing all the incredible work by the community.
  • Add to and follow the conversation on Twitter (#MakeoverMonday). You need to ignore the tweets about make up and furniture up-cycling!
  • Check out all my makeovers with my MakeoverMonday tag on this blog.

Good luck and thank you for being involved!

 

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