21–30 of 35 posts
The first example undermines the argument. It’s a demonstration that the author doesn’t understand a tool. That pie chart tells me that the slices are approximately the same, which is a useful message to effectively deliver visually. Pie charts are great for understanding relative value. Divining or comparing the precise values is not a good use for it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Strong disagree on any type of animated chart. All the information in the animation could be represented in a single image as a multiseries line graph. Animation adds no value and spreads the information over time.
I have to disagree, animation is again a storytelling tool. Instead of a flat presentation of data now you actually have a story with a beginning middle and end, it's much more engaging than a flat line chart. Take the animated bar charts that where sort of a trend for a while on Twitter and Reddit, they got popular for a reason; they are interesting to look at. These types of charts, if done well, make you curious w…
I would say there is a place for pie charts. The article seems to have accuracy as ultimate goal, if you need that accuracy; fully agree, pie chart isn't the best visualization. But, data visualization is often about story telling, and the small percentage differences don't always matter. For example, if you are telling a story about how one of the slices is much bigger than the other ones, pie (and donut) charts, ar…
So is a stacked bar chart.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Strong disagree on any type of animated chart. All the information in the animation could be represented in a single image as a multiseries line graph. Animation adds no value and spreads the information over time.
I have to disagree, animation is again a storytelling tool. Instead of a flat presentation of data now you actually have a story with a beginning middle and end, it's much more engaging than a flat line chart. Take the animated bar charts that where sort of a trend for a while on Twitter and Reddit, they got popular for a reason; they are interesting to look at. These types of charts, if done well, make you curious w…
People don't want accuracy.
People don't want details.
People want pretty.
They will reject any other type of plot that is better than pie charts on the other two metrics.
Hence, pie chart.
The higher up you go, the more important the appearance is, and the less important the details are. The role of most presentations is not to get people to understand, but to impress. Senior folks have given feedback that "Your presentation slides don't have enough details. If you make it easy for the audience to understand, they will undervalue your work."
As someone who has fought this battle many times: People don't want accuracy. People don't want details. People want pretty. They will reject any other type of plot that is better than pie charts on the other two metrics. Hence, pie chart. The higher up you go, the more important the appearance is, and the less important the details are. The role of most presentations is not to get people to understand, but to impres…
If I add percentages or values to the chart, there are no issues with either interpretation or comprehension. The pie chart is just a visually pleasant way to display data compared to, say, a table or a bar chart. Data that's displayed in a boring is quickly forgotten, but data presented in a striking way will help your point being remembered. It's akin to rhetoric/style in writing. You can write in a matter-of-fact descriptive way and bore 90% of readers to death, or you can articulate your point with striking metaphors, rhythm, etc... and make an impact.
This is an issue that I often notice with engineers. They assume that communication is transparent. A five page long table of figures? Sure! A front-end with tons of buttons, slide bars for every adjustable parameters and a full report of everything going on under the hood? Who wouldn't want that!
There's nothing wrong with pretty. You don't always have to sacrifice accuracy to get pretty. And pretty ensures that your accurate data isn't ignored.
As someone who has fought this battle many times: People don't want accuracy. People don't want details. People want pretty. They will reject any other type of plot that is better than pie charts on the other two metrics. Hence, pie chart. The higher up you go, the more important the appearance is, and the less important the details are. The role of most presentations is not to get people to understand, but to impres…
As someone who has fought this battle many times: People don't want accuracy. People don't want details. People want pretty. They will reject any other type of plot that is better than pie charts on the other two metrics. Hence, pie chart. The higher up you go, the more important the appearance is, and the less important the details are. The role of most presentations is not to get people to understand, but to impres…
Is it just me or does TFA's whole argument rests upon the assumption that you don't add labels to your pie charts ? If I add percentages or values to the chart, there are no issues with either interpretation or comprehension. The pie chart is just a visually pleasant way to display data compared to, say, a table or a bar chart. Data that's displayed in a boring is quickly forgotten, but data presented in a striking w…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have to disagree, animation is again a storytelling tool. Instead of a flat presentation of data now you actually have a story with a beginning middle and end, it's much more engaging than a flat line chart. Take the animated bar charts that where sort of a trend for a while on Twitter and Reddit, they got popular for a reason; they are interesting to look at. These types of charts, if done well, make you curious w…
If it's interactive with a slider, maybe (most people don't scrub the video). Human memory is bad, like really bad. You wouldn't make a bar chart and put some bars on one page and some bars on another page. Animated charts are like that. They're entertainment, not a tool for seriously comparing data.
I personally hate pie charts and animated charts. For some leaders/meetings in some companies too many people want entertainment with a smidgen of info.
I would say there is a place for pie charts. The article seems to have accuracy as ultimate goal, if you need that accuracy; fully agree, pie chart isn't the best visualization. But, data visualization is often about story telling, and the small percentage differences don't always matter. For example, if you are telling a story about how one of the slices is much bigger than the other ones, pie (and donut) charts, ar…
I’ve seen an animation a few days ago [1] about the market share evolution of smartphone constructors for 20 years. The animated pie beautifully tells the raise of Apple, Samsung, Huawey and the fall of Nokia, RIM and others. So, fully agree, pie charts can be used if you don’t need the precision. [1] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jameseagle_mobilephones-datav...