Ethics in Vizualization

Ethics in Visualization: U.S. Gun Deaths

Olivia K. Burd

MS in Professional Writing, New York University School of Professional Studies

PWRT1-GC1020: Document Design and Data Storytelling

Mr. Simon A. Mullin

April 6, 2025

Periscopic created a data visualization titled U.S. Gun Deaths, which educates viewers on the number of people who died by way of a gun in 2018 in the United States. The data is presented through a line chart that represents the ages of the deceased individuals and the number of years they potentially could have lived if they were not killed. Below the graph at the top of the page is a further breakdown of some statistics such as age, race, and gender of the individuals represented in the graph. Additional selections can be made by the viewer to see more focused data results.

The first thing viewers see when they open the website is an empty graph that slowly begins to fill with yellow and grey lines, which quickly turn into thousands of plotted lines. As the lines appear in rapid succession, the two numbers at the top of the page rapidly increase. These digits represent the number of lives lost by way of a gun and the number of years stolen from these individuals' lives. The graph alone houses too much information to comprehend together, so below the graph, users can view more specific data. Users will see that of the 11,356 people killed by a gun in 2018, 49 percent were under 30 years old, 58 percent were black, 83 percent were male, and 65 percent used handguns. This breakdown paints a clearer picture for the audience. The user can then utilize the graph filters to see the statistics of specific types of victims. There are check boxes associated with sex, race, age group, region, gun type, victim count, and assailant. If a viewer is looking for very specific data, they use these filters to narrow down graph results.

U.S. Gun Deaths is crafted to educate the viewers on the number of deaths via a gun in the United States during the year 2018. This is achieved through effective data and visuals. This graphic was designed in a way that allows for flexibility in use through the filters that allow users to narrow their search results. According to Breno Chamie (2020), “It is important to take into account possible individual preferences and let users choose how they will use a product or space”. Including the easy-to-use filters found below the graph allows users to choose how they want to gather information from the graph and choose how the graph will add to their existing pool of knowledge. Flexibility allows users to get out of it what they put into it.

User exploration through the filter selection process also aids in telling the story of gun-related deaths in the U.S. in 2018. It allows the user to see all angles and have access to all levels of data that this story provides for the viewers. It gives a deeper understanding of the information being portrayed.

Another element of this visualization is the implementation of perceptible information. For some users, the graph itself might be hard to understand and gather useful information from, however, the ‘quick facts’ below the graph are what is considered to be perceptible information which can be described as, “communicating necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities” (Joyner, 2022). U.S. Gun Deaths uses a combination of the sensory modes pictorial and verbal to make the information accessible to all types of learners. The graph itself is pictorial whereas the breakdown of information below is visual. The visual information shares the bigger takeaways or main points that the creator wants the user to gather in the overall graph. Both the pictorial and visual data are accessible summarizations of the information that best tells the story regarding gun-related deaths in 2018.

The color choices made for this visualization enhance a user's ability to understand and see the data being presented. The creator of the graph chose a bright orange color to represent the lives lost by means of a gun because “warm, bright colors tend to stand out more, especially against a darker background” (Miller, p.27). At an initial glance at the visualization, the user will see the digits at the top of the site that represent the number of individuals whose lives were lost in 2018 from a gun and it shows a connection to the orange lines on the graph which are a direct reflection of that number, 11,356.

In the U.S. Gun Deaths graphic, symmetry and hierarchy work together to make the story being told clear and flow in a way that makes sense to the user. When viewing the graph, the orange and the grey are symmetrical because they are “given equal weight” (Miller, 2022, p. 26). The balance of weight and the hierarchy within the graph show the reader that both elements of the graph are of equal importance. The hierarchy is shown in the way that the lines are moving from left to right, or orange to grey. The direction of the lines “leads the viewer through the message effectively” (Miller, 2022, p. 27) as the number of people killed and the number of years lost are the most important elements of the story that the creator is sharing. The user's eyes go seamlessly from lives lost to years lost due to the hierarchy that has been created and the symmetrical look of the graph.

The hierarchy is not only displayed through the symmetry of the graph but it is also attributed to the creator's use of leading lines. Leading lines are an “easy way to direct the viewer’s eye and impact the hierarchy of the design” (Miller, 2022, p 27). The direction of the lines that are on the graph are moving to the right which then makes the viewer notice the data that is on the right side of the graphic. When the viewer first visits the website they actually see the direction that the lines are moving, and therefore explore the information further to see what the right side of the graph represents. Again, the leading lines help the creator to tell the story effectively and get the information to the viewer. Leading lines direct the viewer's attention to the 472,332 stolen years.

Overall, the data visualization titled U.S. Gun Deaths uses flexibility, filters, perceptible information, bold colors, symmetry, hierarchy, and leading lines to effectively share data and tell a story. This site is designed in a way that is accessible to a wide range of users and gives every user a fair opportunity to gather new information. Each of the components discussed have aided in sharing the story of U.S. gun-related deaths in 2018 and giving viewers an accessible way to gather new information.

References

Chamie, B. (2020). Universal design principles on Digital Products. Labcodes. https://labcodes.com.br/blog/en-us/design/universal-design-ux/

Joyner, J. (2022). Inclusive vs. Universal: The different types of digital design. Accessibility.com: Empowering digital accessibility for businesses. https://www.accessibility.com/blog/inclusive-vs.-universal-the-different-types-of-digital-design

Miller, K. T. (2022). Hierarchy & Visual Flow. In Graphic Design Fundamentals (pp. 27–31). essay.