Match the visual to the comparison
Use line charts for ordered change over time, bars for comparisons across categories, scatter plots for relationships between quantitative variables, and distribution plots when shape and spread matter.
- Start with the question, not a preferred chart style.
- Use a common baseline when precise magnitude comparisons matter.
- Limit categories when a visual becomes crowded.
Design for interpretation
Titles, labels, units, time periods, and definitions prevent ambiguity. Color should direct attention without becoming the only carrier of meaning. Remove decoration that competes with the data.
- Label important values directly when practical.
- Use consistent scales for valid comparisons.
- Combine color with text, symbols, or patterns for accessibility.
Separate dashboards from detailed reports
A dashboard supports monitoring by presenting a focused set of current measures and exceptions. A detailed report can provide methodology, supporting tables, narrative context, and a more complete historical record.
- Choose KPIs that connect to decisions.
- Place the most important information where it is noticed first.
- Explain filters and refresh timing.
Quick Reference
Important Terms
- KPI
- A selected measure used to evaluate progress toward a defined operational or strategic objective.
- Dashboard
- A focused visual workspace that brings together measures and exceptions for monitoring or decisions.
- Data-ink
- The marks in a visual that directly communicate data, contrasted with decoration or redundant elements.
- Accessibility
- Designing information so people with different visual, motor, auditory, or cognitive needs can use it.
- Drill-down
- An interaction that moves from a summarized measure to more detailed contributing information.
Original Public Practice
Check Your Understanding
1. Which chart is the clearest default for comparing totals across eight departments?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A bar chart.
Bars use a shared baseline, making category magnitudes easy to compare.
2. Why should a status report avoid communicating meaning through red and green alone?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Some viewers cannot reliably distinguish those colors, so labels or symbols are also needed.
Redundant visual cues improve accessibility without removing useful color.
3. A leader needs to monitor a few current measures and exceptions every morning. What is the closest fit?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A dashboard.
Dashboards consolidate selected measures for recurring monitoring and decision support.