You are welcome to revise and resubmit Mini-Project 1 using your individual feedback and the guidance below.
The purpose: explore the data and find a story
This project asks you to practice exploratory data analysis (EDA). John Tukey described EDA as a way of investigating data to discover patterns, notice unexpected observations, and develop questions worth pursuing. Visualization is part of that investigation: making a chart should help you decide what to examine next.
If you have studied statistics or economics, you may be accustomed to starting with a hypothesis and estimating an overall relationship. Those skills are useful, but a trend line or a statement that two variables are related does not, by itself, fulfill this project’s goal. An overall trend can be your starting point. Then ask: what lies behind it? Which groups follow it? Where does it weaken or break down? What specific examples make it clearer or more complicated?
An interesting finding does not have to overturn existing research. It can reveal an overlooked difference, clarify a puzzling observation, or show how a familiar pattern works in particular cases. You do not need advanced statistical methods to do this.
Basic requirements
- Introduce your question, data source, scope, and relevant measures so readers understand what they are seeing.
- Identify previous work with this dataset or question, and explain how your exploration extends it.
- Build a story with at least three story points that develop through connected visualizations and brief explanations.
- Include an interactive dashboard with linked visualizations. In Tableau, use the funnel/filter action so clicking in one visualization filters another. Explain how to use the interaction and what the comparison reveals.
- Make your charts accurate and readable, with clear axes, units, labels, and relevant context. Explain missing observations or seasons, unusual values, and important limitations.
What many projects need to develop
Move beyond averages and broad trends. Compare a few named cases, examine differences within groups, or investigate exceptions. If something jumps out visually—a sudden dip, an unusually high value, or a gap—explore it rather than simply repeat what the chart shows.
Choose visualizations that help readers make the comparison. A map may establish geography, while a bar chart makes differences easier to compare. A full timeline may provide context, while a closer view of one period reveals the story. Try several views during exploration before deciding which ones belong in the final presentation.
Build a sequence in which each story point adds something: establish the larger pattern, investigate a focused comparison, then let readers explore related cases through the dashboard. A dashboard should contribute to the story rather than serve as an extra screen.
Keep the writing concise and specific. Give enough setup to understand the data, then explain your discoveries. Distinguish what the data show from possible explanations that would require additional evidence.
For your revision, return to the data before rewriting the captions. The goal is to discover something concrete and use your visualizations to help readers see why it matters.