Apply equity awareness in your design

When creating data visualizations, think intentionally about the people and groups represented in your data. Remember that the data represents real people and communities. Consider the impact of your data visualization design. What are the equity implications of your design choices? Could this visualization have a negative impact on the people represented in the data?

Center equity in your data visualizations, by considering the perspectives of individuals and communities represented in the data and the social, economic, and racial context.

For more guidance on applying an equity lens in data visualization, see the Urban Institute’s Do No Harm Guide: Applying Equity Awareness in Data Visualization.

Some steps we can take to center equity in our data visualization work include:

• Avoid the use of colors and icons that may reinforce gender or racial stereotypes.
• Use people-centered language. When referring to a person or group of people, start with the person, not the characteristic. For instance, “person who is incarcerated” rather than “inmate.”
• When creating data visualizations and writing about groups of people, do some research about the preferred terms of those who you are writing about. Read a comparison of people-first and people-centered language in the article On “person-first” language: it’s time to actually put the person first.
• Consider missing data and consider alternatives to an “other” category that can contribute to othering underrepresented groups.