# Session 3 Handout: Visualize

<p class="meta">FAST-11 AI-Assisted Analytics and Business Intelligence · 7formations · Instructor: Wadood Chaudhary · All examples fictional</p>

## Why this session matters

AI tools will draft a chart or a whole dashboard page in seconds. Some drafts are excellent; others use a cut-off axis, the wrong chart type, or twelve colors that hide the message. Readers trust charts more than tables, so a misleading chart does more damage than a wrong number in a cell.

## Key concepts

### 1. Choose the visual for the question

| Question | Visual |
| --- | --- |
| Trend over time | Line chart |
| Compare categories | Bar chart, sorted |
| Part of a whole | Sorted bar (pie or donut only for 2-3 parts) |
| Relationship between two measures | Scatter plot |
| Exact values for lookup | Table |

One message per chart. **Title with the takeaway** ("VF-4 produced 41% of Q3 scrap cost"); put the formal description and source in a subtitle or note.

### 2. Fix misleading charts

| Problem | Fix |
| --- | --- |
| Cut-off axis on bars | Start at zero |
| 3D, gradients, many colors | Flat, one color plus one highlight |
| Missing labels or units | Axis titles with units; source note |
| Wrong chart type | Match the question (above) |
| Categories drawn as a line | Use bars |

Then **check every number against your verified results** (W2).

### 3. Dashboards

- Start with **the reader's questions** (three to five).
- Few visuals, clear filters, consistent colors.
- Draft with Copilot for Power BI or Tableau AI; then edit.
- Test with a reader: "Which question couldn't you answer in 10 seconds?"
- Add a text alternative or data table for accessibility.

## Worked example (fictional)

An AI draft showed Q3 scrap by machine with the y-axis starting at $1,000, so VF-4's bar looked more than 20 times taller than Saw-1's when VF-4's cost was really about five times higher. Fixed: axis from zero, bars sorted high to low, VF-4 highlighted, title "VF-4 produced 41% of Q3 scrap cost," and source note "Bayside scrap log, cleaned (W1), July to September 2026."

## Checklist

- [ ] Each visual answers one reader question.
- [ ] Chart type matches the question.
- [ ] Bars start at zero; axes labeled with units.
- [ ] Takeaway titles; source notes.
- [ ] Every number checked against W2.
- [ ] Tested with a reader.

## Do and don't

| Do | Don't |
| --- | --- |
| Highlight the one bar that matters | Use a color per category by default |
| Sort bars | Sort alphabetically when ranking matters |
| Title with the message | Title "Chart 1" |
| Edit AI-drafted pages | Publish the first draft |