The gap between Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences over the Christmas periods, statistics reveal.

My vis

Design Rationale

Main story

In our analysis of the data on domestic violence-related assaults and sexual offences, we found it interesting that during Christmas, the number of these two crimes changed in opposite trends. During this time, there is a spike in domestic violence cases, reaching a peak for the year. At the same time, the number of sexual offences plummets, dropping to the lowest point. Studies have shown that hot temperatures may increase the number of domestic violence cases during the summer months as people become more impulsive and irritable in the uncomfortable heat. In addition, the Christmas holidays fall in the summer, and people return to their families more often during the holidays may be one of the reasons why domestic violence cases peak during this period. In contrast, sexual offences tend to occur in public places and offices. Therefore, some sexual crimes will likely be less frequent during Christmas. And some sexual offences are associated with domestic violence, and those who report sexual offences may be reported as domestic violence.

The combination of these factors may lead to the Christmas holiday having the exact opposite effect on the number of domestic violence cases and sexual offence cases.

Choice of visual encoding

We generated an Area Chart to show the overall trends between domestic violence and sexual offences because it can intuitively and clearly show the notable periodic changes during the time.

Additionally, we hope to create some charts highlighting the strength of the connection between the two crimes. So we sorted the dataset by month, calculated the average number of the two crimes each month over four years, and then generated this bar chart. To make it more 'eye-catching,' we decided to make a circular bar chart. It also allows better use of the space than a usual long barplot. Furthermore, we made Pictographs (Pictorial Unit Chart) since it's easy to read and attractive for the readers.

Aesthetics design decision

Aesthetics is crucial to the overall visualisation. We use the A4 scale to provide a better reading experience for users. Negative words such as sexual offences and domestic violence are often mentioned with depression and fear. According to some research on colour psychology, black represents pain, despair and confusion. Thus, we used black as the main colour and referenced the purple and teal ribbon, the international symbol against domestic violence and sexual offences, as the sub colour.

The area chart on the left looks like a huge crack, as we wanted to use this element to express the silence and painful confrontation within people who have suffered from domestic violence or sexual assault. We have also used icons to highlight key findings in the data, such as the "magnifying glass" in the top left corner, highlighting the seasonality of domestic violence cases. The map in the top right corner highlights the NSW, emphasising the location of the cases. The Christmas tree icon highlights that the trends in domestic violence and sexual offences are reversed during the Christmas holidays.

Group Member:

Rose Jia: xjia6929_480446875

Hengshen Zhang: hzha4311_480406606

Ruochen Li: ruli0993_480025876

Xinnuo Yu: xiyu0511_510077749

More information is on Miro Click to check

Feedback from our client:

1: "The shadows sometimes confuse how to look at the area charts. The Circular graph has potential for more design maybe follow the area chart and join the dots and show a fill."
2: "The shadows sometimes confuse how to look at the area charts."

Key changes:

1.We removed the background shadows to make the key elements clearer.
2.The Radial bar chart is changed to a Circular Stacked Area chart since the clients want to get the key takeaways in their first sights.