Visualizing the US Electric Grid, source: NPR
This interactive visual has a lot of information on it. But unless I’m missing something (which could be very likely) it seems to be missing some key pieces of information for understanding.
The visual shows the U.S. electric grid, and is introduced with this statement. “The U.S. electric grid is a complex network of independently owned and operated power plants and transmission lines. Aging infrastructure, combined with a rise in domestic electricity consumption, has forced experts to critically examine the status and health of the nation’s electrical systems.”
By looking at this visual, I can see lots of cool information, but I couldn’t tell you if our electric grid is sitting pretty or is going to collapse tomorrow. It would have been nice to include additional context information to help the average viewer more easily determine the answer to this question.
For example, how does the current energy grid compare to population or population growth? Or it would also be interesting to see which grid lines are being used to maximum capacity or are in need of repair.
The answers to these questions may be obvious to an energy engineer, but since this visual is being published for NPR audiences, I would argue that these pieces of information are needed to make this visual more useful.
Many times it is easy to get lost in the details of your subject, but it is always important to step back and consider your audience when creating a visual aid. What information is needed to explain your message to them?