Collecting and Graphing Scientific Data

Investigate
The first thing I did was brainstorm different ideas on what information to collect and graph. I decided to investigate whether or not a runningback's height effected his average yards per carry. I went to the NFL website to collect my information from 31 different runningbacks of varying heights. I double checked my information of the ESPN website and at Sporting News too. I also watched a tutorial on how to use the graphing tool on Adobe Illustrator.

Plan
Once I had all of my data collected and organized, I began to think of how to present it. I decided a bar graph was most appropriate to display and compare the data. I drew a draft on paper in order to form a picture of what I wanted my final graph on the program to look like. I also analyzed my data and eliminated one runningback whose height was 6'4, which was a bit of an outlier.

Create
 I opened up Adobe Illustrator and selected the Column Graph Tool. I used it to create the basic shape of my graph. Following the tutorial, I plugged in all of my values in the places they belonged, then created the graph. I used the Text Tool to label my axes, and create a title for the graph. I was originally going to leave it at that, but I decided it looked too boring. I gave the labels exciting, fun fonts, and made the bars 3-D. I gave each bar a different color, and applied a gradient effect to each one. Finally, I re-sized the graph in order to make it fit onto the artboard.

Evaluate
I am satisfied with the final product of my efforts. The online sources I used were helpful, and I would not have easily figured out the graphing tool without the tutorial. Input from my teacher and peers also influenced the look of my graph. I believe it presents information clearly and effectively. The design cycle was useful, and helped me approach the project in a logical and convenient way..

Bibliography
 "2010 NFL Player Rushing Stats - National Football League - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. Ed. Elias Sports Bureau. The, 2 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/rushing/sort/rushingYards/year/2010/seasontype/2>.

 -Coffin, Drew. "Create Bar Graphs in Adobe Illustrator CS4 | Ecommerce Developer." Resources for Web Developers | Ecommerce Developer. Ecommerce Developer, 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://developer.practicalecommerce.com/articles/1657-Create-Bar-Graphs-in-Adobe-Illustrator-CS4>.

- "NFL Stats: by Player Category." NFL.com - Official Site of the National Football League. The NFL, 2 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?seasonType=REG>.

-"2010 NFC Team Rushing Statistics - NFL - Sporting News." Sporting News - Real Insight. Real Fans. Real Conversations. Sporting News, 5 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/statistics/team/rushing/conference/nfc/2010>