Radiance Blog

The New York Times has a consistently stellar data infographics team, finding ways to clearly and interestingly convey data stories to readers. While I don’t always agree with everything they do, (I’m not convinced that lay individuals are unable to decipher scatterplots), they hit one out of the park with their interactive graph (flash plugin required) examining state by state support for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton among different demographic groups (as measured by primary exit polls).

The thumbnail picture does not do it justice–to truly get a feel for the way the graphic causes the data to flow from group to group, easily letting the viewer see differences across different demographic groups, you need to see the graphic in action.

Is it perfect? Well, no (for one thing, states are represented with boxes that are the same size, even though there are huge relative differences between states in the sizes of the different demographic groups and in the number of convention delegates each state awards). But it is a great illustration of the power of clear design and technology to help numbers tell their stories.