A color depends on the light
A familiar object can appear different as its surroundings change.
Numbers, meaning, and a little context
Behind a number,there is alwaysa question.
Read charts with more confidence and build a clearer picture from everyday information.
See ideas in practice Visual explanations you can question.
01 Ideas in practice
The choices behind a clear chart.
Read the axis before the shape
A chart’s scale is part of the explanation it presents.
Context is an input with a boundary
A tool can only use the information actually available to its current process.
02 Inside the studio
Legible scales.
Thoughtful summaries.
A journal about the choices inside charts and dashboards. We explore scales, labels, and the ways a visual summary can make information clearer without hiding its limits.
Inside the studio01
Define before comparing
Know the unit, population, and time window before deciding what changed.
02
Show the limits
Missing information and uncertainty belong alongside a result.
03
Use the simplest useful view
A clear table or chart should support a question rather than compete with it.
03 A closer look
A visual worth reading twice.
Rounding without losing the point
The displayed precision should support the comparison a reader needs to make.
04 Keep exploring
Find another useful way to show the question.
The denominator changes the story
A percentage describes a relationship with a group that needs to be named.
Light becomes a digital picture
A photograph is a useful representation built from samples of light.
Mean and median see different details
Two summaries of the same collection can emphasize different aspects of it.
A small idea to take with you
Read the axis before the pattern
Choose a chart and describe its scale, units, and time window. Then explain the pattern using the values as well as the shape.