An's Data Visualizations Reference

Data visualizations (or data viz) are a way to communicate data in a format that is pretty and meaningful, sometimes more meaningful than seeing the data in tabular form. Bar charts, line graphs, and shot attempt maps are simpler styles of data visualization, and there are infinitely more (and infinitely more complex) styles yet to be created. Especially for more complex styles, it might be hard to understand exactly what you're looking at.

This page is meant to act as a constantly updating reference on how to interpret the various styles of viz I create using women's hockey data. Keep in mind that while there may be a few key takeaways a data viz is designed to share, there are no wrong interpretations. If you end up accidentally (or by deliberate misleading design) reaching a false conclusion based on a data viz, again, that says more about the visual than about you.

Shot Attempt Maps

What the Various Elements Mean

• 1 dot = 1 shot attempt
• dot color = team that made the shot attempt (see legend at bottom)
• dot shape = type of shot attempt (see legend at bottom)
• dot location for Shot, Goal, Miss = where the shot attempt was made
• dot location for Block = where the shot attempt was blocked
• number on the dot = the number of the player that made the shot attempt

What to Look For/Key Takeaways

• shot volume: How many shots did each team take? How do they compare?
• shot grouping: Where were most of the shots for a team taken? In the slot? Near the blue line? From the left or right side?

Shot Attempt Heat Maps

What the Various Elements Mean

• blob = an area of the ice in which shot attempts were taken
• blob color = team that took shot attempts in that area
• blob color intensity = how many shots were in that area, relative to the number of shots taken by that team

What to Look For/Key Takeaways

• shot grouping = Where were most of the shots for a team taken? In the slot? Near the blue line? From the left or right side?

Goalie Fan Viz

What the Various Elements Mean

• wedge = some statistic about shots the goalie faced coming from that angle range, from the goalie's perspective (i.e. the rightmost wedge between 0 and 20 degrees is information about all the shots the goalie faced coming from their right); excludes shots from behind the net
• wedge color = save percentage for the goalie considering only shots coming from that angle range; see color bar on side
• color bar = ranges from blue for a 1.00 / 100% save percentage, to grey for the tournament average save percentage, and red for the same difference between 100% save percentage and the tournament average below the tournament average (???) (e.g. if the tournament average is save percentage is 0.91, that is 1.00-0.91 = 0.09 points difference, so the brightest red on the color bar would be 0.91-0.09=0.82), a dark maroon is not listed on the color bar but represents any save percentage below the lowest save percentage labelled on the color bar; the goalie overall average is also labelled
• wedge length on the top semi-circle = how many shots on goal the goalie faced coming from that angle range
• wedge length on the bottom semi-circle = the average distance, in feet, that shots on goal the goalie faced from the angle range came from

What to Look For/Key Takeaways

• shot volume: Did the goalie face most of their shots from the left or right side, or down the middle? On average, were there a lot of shot from far or closer?
• save percentage across angles: Was the goalie stronger on their left or right side, or down the middle?

Goal Involvement Sunburst Viz

What the Various Elements Mean

• center sunburst = a representation of all goals scored by that team, broken down by goalscorer, primary assister, and secondary assister
• label below center sunburst = the number of goals, primary assists, and secondary assists scored by that team
• one vertical wedge of the sunburst = a single goal scored by the team, with layers (from inner layer to outer layer) representing the goalscorer, primary assister, and secondary assister
• each ring layer of the sunburst = from inner to outer layer = the goalscorers, primary assisters, and secondary assisters
• wedge color = a particular player for the team; palette is loosely matched to the team, but there is no guaranteed meaning behind lighter/darker colors
• colored player label = the color representing that player in the wedges
• individual player sunbursts below their label = identical to the center sunburst, but greying out all wedges that are not the player's to highlight that player's goal involvements
• label below player sunbursts = the number of goals, primary assists, and secondary assists scored by that player
• player sunburst order = the player sunbursts are ordered by number of goal involvements by that player (ties broken by number of goals, then number of primary assists, then number of secondary assists); the player with the most will be in the top left and will go in order left-to-right, then top-to-bottom. any gaps in sunbursts are purely aesthetic and have no meaning

What to Look For/Key Takeaways

• goal involvement distribution: Which player had the most points/goal involvements?
• goal/assist distribution: Looking at the individual ring layers, which player had the most goals for the team? Most primary assists? Most secondary assists?
• teammate connections: Which players were involved with goals with many different players? Which players were only involved with goals with the same few players?