Comments on: Gradient Fill and Deception with Charts and Graphs http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/ Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:13:54 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ulrich Seidl http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/comment-page-1/#comment-3506 Ulrich Seidl Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:02:57 +0000 http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/#comment-3506 on http://www.hichert.com/de/consulting/managementberichte/78-diagrammstrip (http://www.hichert.com/downloads/newsletter/Chart_Strip_a.pdf) you can download a chart-strip dealing with those issues on http://www.hichert.com/de/consulting/managementberichte/78-diagrammstrip (http://www.hichert.com/downloads/newsletter/Chart_Strip_a.pdf)
you can download a chart-strip dealing with those issues

]]> By: Excel Links of the Week [Excel Dashboards Edition] | Pointy Haired Dilbert: Charting & Excel Tips - Chandoo.org http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/comment-page-1/#comment-3489 Excel Links of the Week [Excel Dashboards Edition] | Pointy Haired Dilbert: Charting & Excel Tips - Chandoo.org Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:33:58 +0000 http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/#comment-3489 [...] Why gradient fills can be bad for your charts? [...] [...] Why gradient fills can be bad for your charts? [...]

]]> By: Jon Peltier http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/comment-page-1/#comment-3485 Jon Peltier Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:38:57 +0000 http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/#comment-3485 Here's my review of the tutorial I cited above: <a href="http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/misguided-professional-charting-tutorial/" rel="nofollow">Misguided "Professional" Charting Tutorial</a> Here’s my review of the tutorial I cited above:

Misguided “Professional” Charting Tutorial

]]> By: David Gerbino http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/comment-page-1/#comment-3484 David Gerbino Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:54:37 +0000 http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/#comment-3484 Tony, awesome job breaking down this chart. People can learn from this exercise. So many people do not know how to chart correctly and end up misleading people by corrupting the data. I wonder how many misguided executive decisions are made based on the poor use of data visualization? @dmgerbino Tony,

awesome job breaking down this chart. People can learn from this exercise. So many people do not know how to chart correctly and end up misleading people by corrupting the data. I wonder how many misguided executive decisions are made based on the poor use of data visualization?

@dmgerbino

]]> By: Chandoo http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/comment-page-1/#comment-3483 Chandoo Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:46:46 +0000 http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/#comment-3483 I could never understand the fascination with gradients in charts, they add nothing but confusion to a perfectly alright chart. Just today I saw a gradient chart on Scoble's blog .. http://scobleizer.com/2009/11/02/louis-grays-five-stages-of-early-adopterism-chart/ I could never understand the fascination with gradients in charts, they add nothing but confusion to a perfectly alright chart. Just today I saw a gradient chart on Scoble’s blog .. http://scobleizer.com/2009/11/02/louis-grays-five-stages-of-early-adopterism-chart/

]]> By: Jon Peltier http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/comment-page-1/#comment-3482 Jon Peltier Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:29:48 +0000 http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/#comment-3482 There's a charting tutorial on the Microsoft web site that is an absolute disaster. To make the column chart pretty, they recommend using gradient fills for both the bars and the background. Problem is, the gradients sonflict with each other, making it hard to judge the size of the bars. To compound this sin, they recommend starting the value axis of the column chart above zero. Less wasted space or some such. If you ask me, that whole tutorial was all wasted space. There’s a charting tutorial on the Microsoft web site that is an absolute disaster.

To make the column chart pretty, they recommend using gradient fills for both the bars and the background. Problem is, the gradients sonflict with each other, making it hard to judge the size of the bars.

To compound this sin, they recommend starting the value axis of the column chart above zero. Less wasted space or some such. If you ask me, that whole tutorial was all wasted space.

]]> By: jerome cukier http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/comment-page-1/#comment-3481 jerome cukier Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:47:38 +0000 http://supportanalytics.com/blog/2009/11/gradient-fill-and-deception-with-charts-and-graphs/#comment-3481 well, bar charts ought to start at the 0 axis. bars convey the idea of scope, amount, difference with 0. if the minimum value of the whole series is much greater than 0, why not use a dot plot? (i.e. plot a dot at what would be the tip of the bar, instead of the whole bar) -j well, bar charts ought to start at the 0 axis. bars convey the idea of scope, amount, difference with 0.
if the minimum value of the whole series is much greater than 0, why not use a dot plot? (i.e. plot a dot at what would be the tip of the bar, instead of the whole bar) -j

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