Back to all posts
FP&A
November 29, 2023

Today's misleading infographic

A colleague has drawn my attention to this infographic in today’s City AM concerning the cost and value of communications services in the UK.

A colleague has drawn my attention to this infographic in today’s City AM concerning the cost and value of communications services in the UK.

cityam2

In particular, he was baffled by the data in the trend chart, which has two y-axes (£ per month on the left hand scale and £ billions per year on the right hand scale). The data sets are labelled “Average monthly price of moblie (sic) services” and “Total average household spend on moblie (sic)”. Apart from the consistent misspelling of the word “mobile”, there seems to be fundamental mistake in the scaling of the data set relating to the y axis, since an axis scaled in £ billions could not possibly relate to average household spending. The £14.08 label doesn't even line up with that value on the axis.The source of the data was not stated either in the infographic or the article that it accompanied, but I found it was a report published yesterday by Ofcom called “Cost and value of communications services in the UK”.The Ofcom report also portrays the data graphically, and it is interesting to compare and contrast the original from the report with the rendition of the same information in the infographic.

Ofcom Chart -Mobile Prices
  • The Ofcom graphic is generally very well designed, although I would have preferred the time labels on the x axis and the corresponding data points to line up with the tickmarks to give greater clarity on where the data points lie.
  • Portraying the data series as lines is much more appropriate than the areas used in the infographic.
  • The two data series are clearly labelled and it is obvious which line is which.
  • The infographic has translated Ofcom’s “Price of a basket of mobile services” into “Average monthly price of moblie (sic) services” and, more worryingly, “Total household mobile spending” into “Total average household spend on moblie (sic)”. The insertion of the word “average” in error explains our bafflement that the right-hand axis in the infographic is scaled in £ billions.
  • The data values at the start and end of the line “Total household mobile spending” have been mis-transcribed as £12.03 instead of £12.3 and £14.08 instead of £14.8 (billions).
  • The note in red describing sources, methodology and assumptions on the Ofcom chart has been entirely omitted from the infographic.

I also wondered whether the rather random collection of statistics thrown together at the top of the infographic had been presented with more meaning in the original publication, and found that this was indeed the case. Here is the chart in Ofcom’s report that contains that data (shown in the green and red lines).

Ofcom chart - residential spending on broadband

Ofcom’s rendition of the data conveys far more insight than the overall rates of decline and increase quoted in the infographic. The trend for average spending on residential fixed broadband declined steeply from £57.03 in 2000 to £31.79 in 2004 but the rate of decline then slowed, and has actually increased slightly in real terms over the last two years. The trend for total household spending on fixed internet and broadband climbed rapidly over the three years from 2003 to 2006 and then declined slightly, before increasing over the last two years.Publishing either of Ofcom’s charts in their original design would have conveyed information and insight more quickly and clearly than the infographic.

What’s a Rich Text element?

The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.

Static and dynamic content editing

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

How to customize formatting for each rich text

Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.

  • ffff
  • ffff
Metapraxis
Company news and insights
We have been working with finance teams for nearly 40 years. We've built up an in-depth understanding of finance needs, and all of that experience has been embedded in our Empower product.
Popular POst
FP&A
Today's misleading infographic
Follow us

Latest Posts

Navigating Challenges in Construction
eBooks
Navigating Challenges in Construction
Explore how the construction industry confronts economic volatility, technological integration, and strategic decisions. Uncover the effects of economic downturns and policy shifts, delve into the significance of digital transformation, and grasp strategies for bolstering resilience through innovation.
Read more
Navigating a 2024 Tech Investment Slowdown
FP&A
Navigating a 2024 Tech Investment Slowdown
Managing Internal Tech Investment Slowdowns in 2024 with savvy finance strategies: streamline operations, rethink ROI, and set dynamic objectives for a resilient financial approach.
Read more
What does 2024 look like for FP&A teams?
FP&A
What does 2024 look like for FP&A teams?
2024 poses unique challenges for FP&A teams amidst a shifting financial landscape. Here we delve into the anticipated obstacles, developmental prospects, and socio-economic trends that will shape the course of businesses in the upcoming year.
Read more