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Guideline Catalog

Browse visualization guideline records with sections, labels, and references.

781 records

Page 33 of 33

  1. Use visually dense, non-minimal styling when memorability is the goal

    For short-exposure recall of single static visualizations, use visually dense, low-data-ink styling on the chart to improve memorability and mitigate overly plain, forgettable displays for viewers scanning many graphics.

    • purpose:refine
    • basis:empirical
    • quality:insight:use
    • lever:encoding
    • density:dense
    • +1

  2. Use wrapped bars instead of treemaps for single-item rank lookup

    For single-item rank lookup in dense record lists, use wrapped bars on ranked-list views instead of treemaps to improve fidelity and mitigate item-rank errors for readers making perceptual rank judgments.

    • purpose:select
    • basis:empirical
    • chart:bar:use
    • chart:treemap:avoid
    • quality:fidelity:use
    • +3

  3. Use wrapped bars instead of Zvinca plots for two-item comparison

    For two-item comparison in dense record lists, use wrapped bars on ranked-list views instead of Zvinca plots to improve fidelity and mitigate pairwise size-estimation errors for readers making perceptual comparisons.

    • purpose:select
    • basis:empirical
    • task:compare
    • chart:bar:use
    • chart:dotplot:avoid
    • +3

  4. Use Zvinca plots instead of treemaps for whole-list average estimation

    For whole-list average estimation in dense record lists, use Zvinca plots on ranked-list views instead of treemaps to improve fidelity and mitigate mean-estimation errors for readers making overview judgments.

    • purpose:select
    • basis:empirical
    • task:distribute
    • chart:dotplot:use
    • chart:treemap:avoid
    • +3

  5. Validate audience takeaways with less-informed readers

    For explanation under asymmetric knowledge, use a less-informed-reader review workflow on explanatory charts to improve fidelity and mitigate expert overprojection for mixed-knowledge audiences.

    • purpose:refine
    • basis:empirical
    • quality:fidelity
    • lever:interaction-access
    • communication:workflow
    • +3

  6. Vary race-category color assignments across projects

    For repeated communication of racial categories across separate projects, vary category color assignments on categorical palettes to improve respectful framing and mitigate permanent color-category links for readers who encounter multiple graphics over time.

    • purpose:refine
    • basis:heuristic
    • data:categorical
    • quality:trust
    • lever:encoding
    • +3

  7. Vary the lightness of categorical hues so categories still separate in grayscale

    For categorical color palettes that must remain distinguishable in grayscale, use lightness differences across hues to improve accessibility and mitigate category collisions for readers with color-vision deficiencies.

    • purpose:refine
    • basis:heuristic
    • data:categorical
    • quality:accessibility
    • lever:encoding
    • +3

  8. Weave interval color blocks for average and spread comparisons

    For average and spread comparisons over grouped time intervals, use blocked woven color encoding on colorfield charts to improve fidelity and mitigate distraction from local temporal structure for viewers reading interval-level summaries.

    • purpose:refine
    • basis:empirical
    • task:compare
    • time:time-interval
    • chart:heatmap
    • +3

  9. Withhold live cumulative summaries until independent judgments are complete

    For sequential judgment workflows in social visualization systems, avoid live cumulative annotations on chart views to prevent information cascades and mitigate first-response bias for viewers making objective estimates.

    • purpose:refine
    • basis:empirical
    • time:ordered-time
    • quality:fidelity
    • lever:interaction-access
    • +2

  10. Wrap oversized bars when the smallest categories must stay readable

    For low-end extreme-value lookup in single-view categorical bar charts, prefer a wrapped-bar layout on bar charts with disproportionate values to improve fidelity and mitigate missed smallest categories for readers comparing very large and very small values.

    • purpose:refine
    • basis:empirical
    • task:extreme
    • chart:bar
    • data:categorical
    • +3

  11. Write chart text and alternative text at grade 9 or lower

    For accessibility review of a data visualization, use plain-language text annotation on chart text and alternative text to improve accessibility and mitigate comprehension barriers for readers with cognitive disabilities.

    • purpose:refine
    • basis:accessibility
    • quality:accessibility
    • lever:text-annotation
    • needs:cognitive
    • +1

  12. Write the title as the chart's main claim

    For explanatory chart communication, use a declarative title on charts with one intended takeaway to improve insight and mitigate topic-only titling for readers encountering the chart for the first time.

    • purpose:refine
    • basis:heuristic
    • quality:insight:use
    • lever:text-annotation
    • communication:framing
    • +1

  13. Write the title as the main takeaway

    For recall-oriented explanation of a single visualization, use a message-bearing title on the chart to improve insight and address weak message recall for readers viewing the figure without supporting narrative.

    • purpose:refine
    • basis:empirical
    • task:retrieve
    • quality:insight
    • lever:text-annotation
    • +2