Guidelines Explorer

About this project

The Guidelines Explorer was developed to make our corpus 52 data visualization guidelines accessible and actionable. Our goal is to create an interface that supports exploration, teaching, and practice, allowing users to interrogate guidelines at scale, retrieve practical advice quickly, and understand consensus and conflict across industries.

We’re grateful to DataVizStyleGuide.com for compiling the list of guidelines from which this dataset was derived. This is ongoing work intended as an educational resource. Please treat these as guides, not hard rules. Have fun on your journey to designing better visualizations!

Consensus Guidesline (≥3 orgs)
107
Total Guidelines
971
Chart Types
18
Organizations
42
Area Chart5 consensus
USE · AREA_CHART
Use area charts to show multiple categories over time.
Confidence
100% · 9 orgs · 3 industries
AVOID · AREA_CHART
Avoid overlapping area charts when there are more than two time series because they can obscure the data.
Confidence
77% · 6 orgs · 3 industries
USE · AXIS_ZERO
Start the Y-axis at zero when there is more than one series
Confidence
77% · 6 orgs · 3 industries
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
Limit time series in area charts to 8 or fewer
Confidence
51% · 4 orgs · 2 industries
USE · COLOR
Use contrasting colours for each individual category.
Confidence
53% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(2)
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
Directly label the series when possible
2 guidelines · 1 org
USE · INTERACTIVITY
Make the stream graph interactive if possible
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(26)
Cato Institute (CTO)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Make the title short.
CONCISE · HEADINGS
Cato Institute (CTO)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Make subtitles short and capitalize the first word.
CAPITALIZE · HEADINGS
Cato Institute (CTO)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Place the legend at the bottom of the chart
PLACE · LEGEND
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
use lower opacity when series overlap so all series are visible
USE · TRANSPARENCY
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Set area fill to 15% opacity
SET · TRANSPARENCY
Liferay (LFR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
use 10% opacity for area chart background colors
SET · TRANSPARENCY
Liferay (LFR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use the same elements as Line Charts for borders and shapes
USE · BORDER
Material Design 2 (MTD)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use an area chart to summarize relationships between datasets and show how parts relate to the whole
ENSURE · SUM_TO_100
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Place the largest contributing series at the bottom of the area chart based on its value at the start of the time period shown.
PLACE · AREA_STACK_ORDER
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use equally sized bins to summarize the distribution
USE · BINS
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Consider stacking area charts to compare more than one continuous data sets.
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGY
Present the area fill below the data line
PLACE · UNSPECIFIED
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use the chart tooltip to drill into data for any data point on an area chart
USE · TOOLTIPS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure the chart's axes are clearly labeled for easy understanding
LABEL · AXIS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Display dots on line charts when there are few data points or the data are collected irregularly
ADD · DATA_POINTS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Highlight the nearest data point when hovering over the chart
HIGHLIGHT · DATA_POINTS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Show a dot when the chart has a single data point
USE · DATA_POINTS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use a dashed line between known points for periods without data
STYLE · LINES
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Display a tooltip showing 'n/a' when hovering over a dot that has no data, and, if possible, explain why
ADD · TOOLTIPS
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Often better to use a line graph
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use colored circular markers for each data point
USE · DATA_POINTS
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Add white lines on top of each colored area to show overlaps between areas
ADD · BORDER
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Set legend text to regular weight and use circular swatches aligned to the top line of the vertical axis
SET · LEGEND
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Order the segments of the chart in a logical fashion.
ORDER · SEGMENTS
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use round-number intervals (1, 2, 5, or 10) on the x-axis when plotting years
LABEL · AXIS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use the same colour for the line and the fill
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
Bar Chart18 consensus
USE · AXIS_ZERO
Start the axis at zero
Confidence
100% · 23 orgs · 7 industries
USE · BAR_CHART
Use a bar chart to show and compare categories and their values
Confidence
82% · 20 orgs · 5 industries
CONSIDER · ORDERING
Sort data from highest to lowest to enable quick comparison
Confidence
71% · 15 orgs · 6 industries
AVOID · BAR_CHART
Do not use a bar chart like a histogram
Confidence
64% · 14 orgs · 5 industries
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
Use consistent colours throughout the chart
Confidence
70% · 13 orgs · 7 industries
USE · COLOR
Use a lighter shade for projection/estimate bars to distinguish them from actual values
Confidence
55% · 11 orgs · 5 industries
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
Include a label on each bar; if a bar is too small, place its label outside the bar.
Confidence
45% · 9 orgs · 4 industries
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Use a table when the number of data points exceeds 6.
Confidence
41% · 8 orgs · 4 industries
AVOID · ROTATED_LABELS
Do not rotate bar labels
Confidence
37% · 8 orgs · 3 industries
ENSURE · SPACE_RATIO
Make each bar about twice as wide as the space between bars.
Confidence
34% · 7 orgs · 3 industries
AVOID · DECORATION
Do not add shadows behind bars or use three-dimensional vertical bars
Confidence
31% · 6 orgs · 3 industries
ORDER · SEGMENTS
Arrange clusters and the bars within them in a logical order
Confidence
21% · 4 orgs · 2 industries
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
Limit time series to 4 or fewer
Confidence
21% · 4 orgs · 2 industries
AVOID · GRIDLINES
Do not use gridlines and direct labels together; use one or the other
Confidence
22% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
USE · ABBREVIATION
If category labels are too long horizontally, consider using abbreviated labels
Confidence
22% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
RIGHT_ALIGN · HORIZONTAL_LABELS
Right-align horizontal labels to be closer to the horizontal bar
Confidence
22% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
ENSURE · SUM_TO_100
Consider stacking bars to show proportions of datasets
Confidence
18% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
USE · LEGEND
Use a legend when there are multiple categories
Confidence
18% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(5)
USE · LABELS
Ensure the chart's axes are clear; add labels if the title isn't descriptive enough.
2 guidelines · 1 org
GROUP · BAR
Group bars into category-based groups with subheadings when bars belong to high-level categories to improve interpretability
2 guidelines · 1 org
ADD · AXIS
Include an x-axis on column charts to establish a baseline
2 guidelines · 1 org
LABEL · LEGEND
Show zeros in the legend but omit zeros on the chart
2 guidelines · 1 org
USE · DATE_FORMAT
Use date format DD Mmm YYYY for horizontal bar chart variant
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(72)
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMMUST
omit the horizontal axis when values are labeled directly
OMIT · AXIS
Catalyst California (CCA)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Start with grayscale and use color to highlight important points.
HIGHLIGHT · BAR
Cato Institute (CTO)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not use long labels for column charts.
AVOID · LONG_LABELS
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use 60% opacity for negative bars while keeping the same colour
USE · TRANSPARENCY
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use 12px font size, #888888 fill, and Source Sans Pro for axis tick labels
SET · TYPOGRAPHY
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
set the x-axis stroke color to #888888 for the vertical bar chart variant
SET · AXIS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use grid lines when direct labelling isn't possible due to space
USE · GRIDLINES
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not use a legend when there is only one data category.
AVOID · LEGEND
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Avoid using acronyms on axes
AVOID · ABBREVIATION
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Avoid using acronyms; fully spell out terms for the horizontal bar chart variant
AVOID · ABBREVIATION
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not use acronyms
AVOID · ABBREVIATION
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not sort the data in alphabetical order.
AVOID · ORDERING
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add error bars to show uncertainty in the data
USE · ERROR_BARS
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Limit gridlines to just enough to frame the data
LIMIT · GRIDLINES
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Group items using labels rather than using many color variations
GROUP · LABELS
Material Design 2 (MTD)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Allow subtle rounded corners on bars while ensuring the bar top precisely measures the bar's length
CONSIDER · BAR
Material Design 2 (MTD)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Avoid shapes that make charts hard to read, such as bars with imprecise top edges.
AVOID · SHAPE
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Choose the primary and secondary x-axes based on which data relationships and comparisons should be highlighted
SELECT · AXIS
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Choose which category is primary (clusters) and which is secondary (subcategories) based on which comparisons or bar arrangements should be highlighted for the reader
SELECT · SEGMENTS
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTMAY
Use groups to show values for different breakdowns of a population (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity).
USE · GROUP
OPattern (OPR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Draw attention to the most important aspect of the chart.
HIGHLIGHT · UNSPECIFIED
OPattern (OPR)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Include a descriptive caption (subtitle) for the horizontal bar chart when needed, written as a full sentence.
ADD · HEADINGS
OPattern (OPR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use light horizontal grid lines to guide the eye across multiple columns
USE · GRIDLINES
OPattern (OPR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Identify the chart's most important aspect and call attention to it
HIGHLIGHT · UNSPECIFIED
OPattern (OPR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Choose logical increments for the scale on vertical bar charts
SET · SCALE
OPattern (OPR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not show more than 30 columns in a single chart
LIMIT · COLUMNS
Pinterest (PIN)SOCIAL MEDIASHOULD
Show additional gridlines in bar charts; use vertical gridlines for row (horizontal) bar charts
ADD · GRIDLINES
Pinterest (PIN)SOCIAL MEDIASHOULD
Keep labels short to avoid wrapping and improve readability
CONCISE · LABELS
Pinterest (PIN)SOCIAL MEDIAMUST
Do not create extra-long labels that require wrapping or truncation
AVOID · LONG_LABELS
Pinterest (PIN)SOCIAL MEDIAMUST
Do not use abbreviations that are only understood internally or that don't translate well
AVOID · ABBREVIATION
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Make all bars the same width and have equal spacing between bars matching axis value spacing
ENSURE · BAR_WIDTH
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Bar charts should be displayable either vertically or horizontally depending on the data and available space
SHOULD · BAR
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure all bars have the same width and equal spacing that mimics axis value spacing
ENSURE · BAR_WIDTH
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Consider a logical order for the values on the axes
CONSIDER · AXIS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Set the upper part of bars to have a border radius of 2px
SET · BORDER
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Set a 4px margin between grouped bars
SET · BAR_GAP
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Set a minimum bar height of 2px so small values remain visible next to large values
SET · BAR_HEIGHT
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Consider using a logarithmic scale to make data comparisons more uniform, especially when there are outliers
CONSIDER · LOGARITHMIC_SCALE
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
If trend lines are used, ensure tooltips provide comprehensive value details
ENSURE · TOOLTIPS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Highlight a bar on hover to indicate focus or clickability; for trend lines, show corresponding points on hover
HIGHLIGHT · BAR
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure tooltips display zero when all chart values are zero
ENSURE · TOOLTIPS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not include a legend for single-category bar charts
OMIT · LEGEND
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not display bars for data points without values.
OMIT · BAR
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure clear margins and spacing (e.g., 8px top/bottom; 16px between category labels and bars)
ENSURE · SPACING
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Omit axes when showing category values as a percentage of 100.
OMIT · AXIS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use axes to display distribution without percentage constraints
USE · AXIS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Allocate space for category labels on both sides of the horizontal bar chart
PLACE · HORIZONTAL_LABELS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Show a 'no more results' label with an 8px margin below values and gray text
ADD · LABELS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure the chart's axes are understandable; label them if needed.
ENSURE · AXIS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not use a grid for the compact horizontal bar chart variant
AVOID · GRIDS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Add a legend when there are multiple categories.
ADD · LEGEND
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
highlight a bar on hover to indicate focus or clickability
HIGHLIGHT · BAR
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMAY
When using horizontal layout show values left-to-right; when using vertical layout show values bottom-to-top
SET · AXIS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Increase a sector by 2px on hover
HIGHLIGHT · SEGMENTS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Display values less than or equal to 1% as 1% on the chart
SET · LABELS
Shopify (SHP)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Set negative bars to 60% opacity
SET · TRANSPARENCY
Shopify (SHP)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not make the bars too skinny
ENSURE · BAR_WIDTH
Shopify (SHP)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Include tooltips that show x-axis and y-axis values
ADD · TOOLTIPS
Shopify (SHP)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Top tooltip line should follow x-axis abbreviation/label guidelines; bottom tooltip line should follow y-axis abbreviation/label guidelines
ENSURE · TOOLTIPS
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGY
Avoid large gaps between bars and sections in radial bar charts
AVOID · BAR_GAP
The Dallas Morning News (DMN)JOURNALISMMUST
Do not left-align labels for horizontal bar charts.
AVOID · LEFT_ALIGN
U.S. Web Design System (USD)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Add a clear, plain-language summary (subtitle) explaining what the chart intends to communicate
ADD · HEADINGS
U.S. Web Design System (USD)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Link the original data source for the line chart.
INCLUDE · DATA_SOURCE
U.S. Web Design System (USD)GOVERNMENTMAY
Consider hiding the graphic from screen readers and provide an accessible data table when the dataset is simple
CONSIDER · UNSPECIFIED
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Place the primary y-axis on the left when overlaying a line chart on a bar chart
PLACE · DUAL_AXES
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not include too many variables.
AVOID · UNSPECIFIED
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not use bar charts to compare heights when axes are on different scales
AVOID · DUAL_AXES
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Choose either an axis label or a data (direct) label, not both
SELECT · LABELS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Order legend elements to match the sequence of bars for easy reference
ORDER · LEGEND
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Ensure there is sufficient space between groups of horizontal bars so groups are easily differentiated
ENSURE · SPACING
US Agency for International Development | Office of HIV/AIDS (OHA)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Align chart text consistently
CONSISTENT · LABELS
US Agency for International Development | Office of HIV/AIDS (OHA)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Avoid dual axes plots
AVOID · DUAL_AXES
Box Plot1 consensus
USE · BOX_PLOT
Use boxplots to summarize distributions (median, interquartile range, outliers) though they give little detail about specific data values.
Confidence
100% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(0)
None
Ungrouped guidelines(6)
Delish (Kraft Heinz Food) (KHZ)FOODSHOULD
Use transparency to help show overlapping dots
USE · TRANSPARENCY
Delish (Kraft Heinz Food) (KHZ)FOODMUST
Do not use a single box-and-whisker plot when you have only a single data set; consider a histogram or other chart type instead
AVOID · BOX_PLOT
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Order x-axis categories intentionally; use natural order for ordinal axes; for nominal categories, consider ordering by mean or median to show ranking
CONSIDER · ORDERING
Royal Statistical Society (RSS)EDUCATIONSHOULD
Use a horizontal orientation for box plots to enable more accurate visual comparison
USE · AXIS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Order groups when they lack an inherent order (for example, sort groups by median).
ORDER · SEGMENTS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Avoid using boxplots when showing the distribution for a single group; use a histogram instead.
AVOID · BOX_PLOT
Bubble Chart3 consensus
AVOID · BUBBLE_CHART
Do not use bubble charts with large datasets or when there are too many bubbles.
Confidence
100% · 5 orgs · 3 industries
USE · BUBBLE_CHART
Use a bubble chart to visualize patterns and relationships and encode additional dimensions with bubble size and color.
Confidence
62% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
USE · LEGEND
Use legends to map bubble sizes to the values of the third variable
Confidence
62% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(5)
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Can be used with column or thermometer charts
2 guidelines · 1 org
AVOID · LABELS
Do not use captions/labels for bubbles, especially on dense charts
2 guidelines · 1 org
ENSURE · TOOLTIPS
Ensure tooltips show X and Y values, values that determine bubble size, and use colors when multiple datasets are present
2 guidelines · 1 org
LIMIT · SEGMENTS
Limit bubble charts to no more than 3-4 sets to avoid clutter
2 guidelines · 1 org
CLEAR · LABELS
Make the X and Y axis labels clear
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(26)
Delish (Kraft Heinz Food) (KHZ)FOODMUST
Ensure the metric used for bubble size is positive when using bubbles for a third metric
ENSURE · UNSPECIFIED
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMAY
Regroup data into a series
GROUP · UNSPECIFIED
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMAY
Add a time dimension when a play button or time slider is added
CONSIDER · INTERACTIVITY
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMAY
Add a line chart to the bubble chart to compare the x and y variables
ADD · LINE
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use a logarithmic scale when outliers obscure lower-valued data points
USE · LOGARITHMIC_SCALE
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Label the axis to indicate that a log scale is used to avoid misleading readers
LABEL · AXIS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add a button to let users switch between linear and logarithmic scales
ADD · INTERACTIVITY
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Ensure axis intervals are equally spaced
ENSURE · AXIS
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
When a bubble chart uses a log or log-log scale, indicate that in the chart title or the axis titles
ADD · HEADINGS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Show both vertical and horizontal gridlines
USE · GRIDLINES
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Add a legend when there are multiple data sets and include clear values for each dataset
ADD · LEGEND
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Increase bubble opacity to 80% on hover
SET · TRANSPARENCY
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Set bubble minimum size to 11px by 11px when outliers are present
SET · DATA_POINTS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Display zero values at the origin
USE · AXIS_ZERO
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Omit points that have no data and indicate this in the legend
OMIT · DATA_POINTS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGY
Automatically scale the chart when a bubble is near the axes
ENSURE · SCALE
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Include explanatory details about what influences bubble size with the chart
ADD · TOOLTIPS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not limit the number of datasets to maintain chart readability.
AVOID · UNSPECIFIED
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Arrange bubbles into clustered groups
GROUP · DATA_POINTS
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Center bubble labels inside each bubble
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not leave gaps between bubbles
ENSURE · SPACING
The Economist (ECN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Place numbers as direct labels inside bubbles when the bubbles are large enough to fit them
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
The Economist (ECN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
When most numbers won't fit inside bubbles, place labels outside the bubble and right-align the text
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Limit the number of data points plotted in a bubble chart
LIMIT · DATA_POINTS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use transparency when drawing bubbles
USE · TRANSPARENCY
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not size circles by their radius or diameter; size them by the circle's area instead.
AVOID · UNSPECIFIED
Donut Chart11 consensus
LIMIT · SEGMENTS
Use donut charts for datasets with a small number of categories (2–5).
Confidence
100% · 11 orgs · 6 industries
AVOID · DONUT_CHART
Do not place a multi-segment doughnut (with a legend to the right or beneath) in the same section as a single-segment doughnut.
Confidence
94% · 10 orgs · 6 industries
ENSURE · SUM_TO_100
Choose either percentages or integer values to compare parts to the whole based on user needs and use case
Confidence
82% · 9 orgs · 5 industries
USE · DONUT_CHART
Use a donut chart to show a single percentage or numerical value
Confidence
70% · 7 orgs · 5 industries
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Consider using a bar chart when comparing one category to another
Confidence
57% · 5 orgs · 5 industries
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
Label segments directly.
Confidence
47% · 5 orgs · 3 industries
ORDER · CLOCKWISE
Display values in a clockwise direction
Confidence
45% · 4 orgs · 4 industries
USE · DONUT_CENTER
Place the chart value inside the chart circle for single animated segment doughnuts
Confidence
40% · 4 orgs · 3 industries
USE · LEGEND
Include a legend to comply with accessibility guidelines.
Confidence
35% · 4 orgs · 2 industries
USE · COLOR
Set the donut chart's unused area color to #EDEDED.
Confidence
29% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
SET · SEGMENTS
Set the outer segments as static and have them represent thresholds for the use case
Confidence
29% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(2)
ENSURE · LEGEND
Require multi-segment doughnut charts to include a legend that lists the labels and values for each segment
3 guidelines · 1 org
SET · SPACING
Provide 3px of padding between segments
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(42)
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Use an animation that, when the chart first appears in the viewport, animates the doughnut clockwise to complete the circle
USE · ANIMATION
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
When the key is to the right of the doughnut, set the block to consume six columns of the grid
SET · COLUMNS
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMAY
Place two doughnut charts with keys side-by-side using the full 12-column grid
PLACE · COLUMNS
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Use doughnut charts only on white backgrounds.
USE · UNSPECIFIED
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Set the numerical or percentage value in single animated-segment doughnuts to h1 semi-bold with color #5c596d
SET · HEADINGS
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Set the body copy under the numeric/percentage value to 16px in single animated segment doughnuts
SET · TYPOGRAPHY
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMAY
Allow placing elements (title, total, CTA/text-link, or copy) inside the donut's key lock-up
PLACE · UNSPECIFIED
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMAY
Place no more than three doughnut charts side by side when needed
LIMIT · DONUT_CHART
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Show the full dataset first, then use subsequent doughnut charts to highlight a single segment from the first chart.
HIGHLIGHT · SEGMENTS
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Show a legend only for the single highlighted segment in doughnut charts
LIMIT · LEGEND
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Do not change the blank segment's color; keep it as #ccc for single animated-segment doughnuts
SET · COUNT
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Do not place a legend (key) to the right or beneath alongside doughnuts that have numerical/percentage values inside them
AVOID · LEGEND
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Require a 3px divider between each doughnut segment to meet accessibility standards
SET · STROKE_WIDTH
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Adjust the donut chart's hole size (space ratio)
ENSURE · SPACE_RATIO
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFP)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use a white outline or stroke to create contrast between slices
USE · BORDER
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
When there are more than six slices, group smaller/overflow slices into a single "Other" category
GROUP · SEGMENTS
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Start slices at the 12 o'clock position with the largest slice at 12 and the remaining slices ordered counterclockwise in descending order
CONSIDER · ORDERING
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Follow the natural order of categories (e.g., low to high or good to bad).
ORDER · SEGMENTS
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not enlarge or explode slices
AVOID · SEGMENTS
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not use too many colors in a single chart because it hinders understanding.
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Label the donut chart to indicate what the entire donut represents
USE · HEADINGS
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
ensure the donut's ring-to-hole proportion is neither too skinny nor too thick
ENSURE · SPACE_RATIO
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use a single colour and include labels to highlight the narrative in the text
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use the chart center to highlight a data point
USE · DATA_POINTS
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Show a tooltip on hover that displays the segment name and its value.
USE · TOOLTIPS
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Round the total numeric value to at most two decimal places and limit it to 14 characters; style it using 24px font in standard text color.
SET · PRECISE_NUMBER
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Data set label must be at most 24 characters
AVOID · LONG_LABELS
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Center labels within the donut
CENTER · LABELS
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Place labels outside the donut when they exceed the maximum character count and leave the center empty
PLACE · LONG_LABELS
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Allow using percentages or whole numbers to represent utilization
USE · UNITS
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGY
Display the percentage of data utilized in the tooltip for a utilization donut chart
ADD · TOOLTIPS
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
State each segment's name and its utilization value
LABEL · SEGMENTS
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
State the threshold name, the segment name, and the value being represented.
USE · LABELS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Start displaying values at a 90-degree angle
START · UNSPECIFIED
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Wrap long labels to the next line for clarity
AVOID · LONG_LABELS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Always name (label) the main metric.
USE · LABELS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Display name and value in tooltips
ADD · TOOLTIPS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Display values less than or equal to 1% as 1% on the chart
AVOID · PRECISE_NUMBER
The Economist (ECN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
When linking lines get too crowded, add small colour blocks to labels to key them
ADD · LABELS
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Aggregate smaller categories into an "other" or "miscellaneous" category
GROUP · SEGMENTS
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Consider using 25° increments in the donut chart (they create right angles and a straight center line familiar to readers).
CONSIDER · UNSPECIFIED
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Omit the legend and instead label slices directly
OMIT · LEGEND
Dot Plot1 consensus
USE · DOT_PLOT
Use the Q for dot plots and arrow charts for online
Confidence
100% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(0)
None
Ungrouped guidelines(5)
Delish (Kraft Heinz Food) (KHZ)FOODSHOULD
Use transparency to help show overlapping dots
USE · TRANSPARENCY
NZZ Visuals (NZZ)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Right-align y-axis category labels.
RIGHT_ALIGN · LABELS
NZZ Visuals (NZZ)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Add guidance by integrating chart symbols into the legend text when the legend is complicated
ADD · LEGEND
Salesforce (SLF)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not use dot plots for very large or extremely dense data sets
AVOID · DOT_PLOT
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMAY
Use a dot plot as an alternative to grouped bar charts or slope charts
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Heatmap2 consensus
USE · COLOR
Use continuous color palettes when creating heat maps
Confidence
100% · 6 orgs · 5 industries
USE · HEATMAP
Use a heatmap to show the relationship between two variables
Confidence
53% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(0)
None
Ungrouped guidelines(9)
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use white outlines to separate the data.
USE · BORDER
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Include a legend that maps numeric values to the color scale
USE · LEGEND
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Set spacing between heat-map segments to at least 1 pt white space to improve readability
SET · SPACING
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Include numeric data labels for each heatmap cell when there is sufficient space
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
Liferay (LFR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Use a single color value and white for the time-spots in the heatmap
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
Liferay (LFR)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Use at most seven different circle (bubble) items in the chart
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
Salesforce (SLF)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not vary colors without reason
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Include values (direct labels) in heatmap cells for static versions when fine differences between variables matter
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Include a legend to support the understanding of the chart
USE · LEGEND
Histogram1 consensus
USE · AXIS_ZERO
Start histograms from a zero baseline
Confidence
100% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(1)
AVOID · HISTOGRAM
Do not use histograms for non-continuous data; use bar or column charts instead
3 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(21)
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use a histogram to show the distribution of values across equally-sized bins, with the y-axis showing count or relative frequency.
USE · HISTOGRAM
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not have gaps between histogram bars
AVOID · BAR_GAP
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Carefully select the bin width or bandwidth for histograms because it influences distribution shape and visibility of trends
SELECT · BINS
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Avoid using 3D effects in histograms to reduce ambiguity about bar tops
AVOID · DECORATION
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not omit histogram bins with no data because this can be deceiving
ENSURE · BINS
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Place direct labels outside the top of the bars.
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure the chart title explains the axes
ENSURE · HEADINGS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use a single color (or similar shades) to keep the histogram simple
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Consider using a horizontal histogram when range names are long or there are many ranges
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Set the upper part of histogram bars to have a 2px border radius for vertical histograms
SET · BORDER
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use different colors carefully to highlight specific ranges because they can make the chart easier to read
USE · COLOR
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Organize histogram values in a logical order (e.g., largest to smallest or chronologically for months).
CONSIDER · ORDERING
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure bars are at least 2px high for visibility next to very large values
ENSURE · BAR_HEIGHT
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Consider using a logarithmic scale to balance the representation of data ranges
CONSIDER · LOGARITHMIC_SCALE
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Omit the legend for histograms
AVOID · LEGEND
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Display a single bar when the data is a single range
USE · BAR
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure tooltips show zero when the data are all zero
ENSURE · TOOLTIPS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not reorder histogram bars by size
AVOID · ORDERING
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Avoid incorrect scaling to prevent misleading impressions of value proportions.
AVOID · SCALE
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use an appropriate number of bins
USE · BINS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not use unequal bin sizes in histograms
AVOID · BINS
Line Chart18 consensus
USE · LINE_CHART
Use line charts to compare several data sets or to show changes over time
Confidence
100% · 15 orgs · 5 industries
LIMIT · LINES
do not use more than 4 lines
Confidence
94% · 15 orgs · 4 industries
STYLE · LINES
Consider styling lines using dashes or varied opacities
Confidence
86% · 12 orgs · 5 industries
USE · AXIS_ZERO
Do not truncate the axis; use/start the axis at zero when the chart's point is visible with the axis at 0
Confidence
67% · 8 orgs · 5 industries
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
Label lines directly instead of using a separate legend when possible
Confidence
51% · 7 orgs · 3 industries
USE · DATA_POINTS
Optionally show data points as dots on line charts
Confidence
51% · 7 orgs · 3 industries
TRUNCATE · AXIS
Cut the y-axis (do not extend the y-axis to zero) to reveal subtle but significant changes
Confidence
52% · 6 orgs · 4 industries
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
Do not use different colors to show periodical variation for the same data category
Confidence
46% · 6 orgs · 3 industries
AVOID · LINES
Avoid lines that are too thick
Confidence
47% · 5 orgs · 4 industries
AVOID · LINE_CHART
Do not use line charts to show and compare categorical data
Confidence
41% · 5 orgs · 3 industries
USE · COLOR
Use a contrasting color
Confidence
41% · 5 orgs · 3 industries
HIGHLIGHT · LINES
Highlight the most important aspect of the story in line charts
Confidence
37% · 4 orgs · 3 industries
USE · AXIS
Make the chart axes clear; add labels when the chart name isn't sufficient
Confidence
37% · 4 orgs · 3 industries
USE · GRIDLINES
Provide enough gridlines and use logical increments
Confidence
32% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Use small multiples when displaying many categories
Confidence
32% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
AVOID · DATA_POINTS
Avoid using data markers on line charts unless there are few points, irregular intervals, or flow data
Confidence
26% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
AVOID · DUAL_AXES
Do not use dual axes to compare the evolution of different variables (multiple lines).
Confidence
26% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
PLACE · LEGEND
Include a legend when there are multiple data series in a line chart
Confidence
26% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(0)
None
Ungrouped guidelines(43)
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use a 2:1 aspect ratio for the plot area
ENSURE · SPACE_RATIO
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use interactions to let users pick relevant categories when displaying many categories
USE · INTERACTIVITY
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFP)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Label lines directly or use different patterns for each line
LABEL · LINES
Delish (Kraft Heinz Food) (KHZ)FOODMUST
Do not overcrowd the chart with unnecessary gridlines
LIMIT · GRIDLINES
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Provide zoom in/out capability so users can focus on particular points in time on the chart
ADD · INTERACTIVITY
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use different shapes for data points to distinguish multiple variables and improve accessibility
USE · SHAPE
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Set the y-axis scale so the trend is visible and avoid scales that make the trend too flat or too exaggerated
SET · SCALE
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFIT
Omit the legend when the chart shows only one category
AVOID · LEGEND
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Change date format to a user-friendly format.
USE · DATE_FORMAT
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Order the legend to match the order of the end points
ORDER · LEGEND
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMAY
Consider merging smaller categories into an 'others' class so there are exactly four categories to improve readability
CONSIDER · CATEGORIES
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not plot more than 4 categories on a multiple-lines chart; if you must, use a small multiple.
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not place labels far from the lines (e.g., on top or bottom of the chart) because it forces readers to cross-reference legend and lines
AVOID · LONG_LABELS
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add reference lines or annotations for important events or points of interest where applicable.
ADD · LINES
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add marker points when the data sample is small to avoid implying continuity
ADD · DATA_POINTS
Liferay (LFR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use 2px borders to identify line charts
USE · BORDER
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Limit gridlines to the minimum needed to show the range and groupings of values
LIMIT · GRIDLINES
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Highlight data with a thematic colour and mark and label key dates and values
HIGHLIGHT · COLOR
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTMUST
Omit the legend because data are labelled directly
AVOID · LEGEND
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Set axis text size to 16pt on the X-axis when including months and years
SET · TYPOGRAPHY
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Make x-axis labels horizontal to maximize readability
ENSURE · HORIZONTAL_LABELS
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Make axis intervals equally spaced
ENSURE · SPACING
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not apply smoothing to trend lines
AVOID · TREND_LINE
NZZ Visuals (NZZ)JOURNALISMSHOULD
leave padding above the highest and below the lowest data point when truncating an axis and ensure the chart line uses the upper and lower halves of the chart
ENSURE · SPACE_RATIO
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Add comparison data (e.g., national average, five-year rolling average, or previous year) to provide context
ADD · TREND_LINE
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Add annotations to highlight significant events or data points
ADD · LABELS
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Consider creating and extending a best-fit (trend) line in both directions to project trends into the past or future, noting such projections may be uncertain
CONSIDER · TREND_LINE
Salesforce (SLF)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure values are compared using similar units and a consistent scale
ENSURE · UNITS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Limit categories to 5–7 to avoid clutter and confusion
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
When hovering over the chart, show a detailed tooltip
ADD · TOOLTIPS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Show tooltips that display 'n/a' for missing data and, with many categories, show dots and values for all items under the cursor in the chart's category order.
USE · TOOLTIPS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure tooltip category order matches the chart's category order
ENSURE · TOOLTIPS
Shopify (SHP)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use larger time granularities such as yearly or quarterly
USE · DATE_FORMAT
Sprout Social (SPR)SOCIAL MEDIAMUST
Do not use inconsistent intervals (do not skip months, quarters, or other data points)
AVOID · AXIS
Sprout Social (SPR)SOCIAL MEDIASHOULD
Right-align data labels and numerical values to the y-axis.
RIGHT_ALIGN · LABELS
Sprout Social (SPR)SOCIAL MEDIASHOULD
Center data labels and place them above the corresponding data points
CENTER · LABELS
U.S. Web Design System (USD)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use discrete dash or datapoint styles to distinguish lines when high-contrast color selection is not possible
STYLE · COLOR_PALETTE
U.S. Web Design System (USD)GOVERNMENTMAY
Use triangles, squares, or other simple shapes for indicators.
USE · SHAPE
U.S. Web Design System (USD)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use multiple indicator shapes and textures when comparing more than three data sets
USE · SHAPE
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Set the y-axis scale so the line height occupies roughly two-thirds of the chart area
SET · SCALE
VTEX (VTX)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use grids so the audience can trace from the data to the axis
USE · GRIDS
VTEX (VTX)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use clear, concise axis labels (abbreviate occasionally).
USE · LABELS
VTEX (VTX)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Avoid gridlines that visually compete with the data
AVOID · GRIDLINES
Map5 consensus
USE · COLOR
Use land text colour on zoomed-in maps showing only part of a national border instead of white
Confidence
100% · 10 orgs · 5 industries
USE · MAPS
Use a static map for simple stories
Confidence
80% · 8 orgs · 4 industries
AVOID · MAPS
Do not highlight any country on locator maps that show the Kashmir region along the India/Pakistan border
Confidence
79% · 7 orgs · 5 industries
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Consider choosing an alternative layout instead of a map because color scale comparisons are harder for humans than size comparisons.
Confidence
33% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
Use no more than 5 colors in choropleths
Confidence
33% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(3)
USE · MAP_PROJECTION
Use either a mercator projection or a country-specific conical projection for standard maps at country-level zoom
12 guidelines · 1 org
AVOID · OVERPLOTTING
Prevent flows and arrowheads from overlapping
3 guidelines · 1 org
SET · STROKE_WIDTH
Use a 1.5pt stroke when the map only shows one level of roads
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(34)
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)EDUCATIONSHOULD
Limit the map to only the regions present in the data
LIMIT · MAPS
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)EDUCATIONSHOULD
Avoid decorative shading or colors.
AVOID · DECORATION
Delish (Kraft Heinz Food) (KHZ)FOODSHOULD
Make map outlines (borders) light
ENSURE · BORDER
Delish (Kraft Heinz Food) (KHZ)FOODMUST
Avoid outlines that are too dark
AVOID · BORDER
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTMAY
Label the legend and map when possible
LABEL · LEGEND
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Avoid using choropleth maps because larger areas can imply higher values; use a symbol or hex map instead
AVOID · MAP
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Bin continuous measures into meaningful category value ranges for choropleth maps.
GROUP · BINS
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTMAY
Consider categorizing bubble sizes into 4–5 sizes when bubbles bunch or values span a large range
CONSIDER · BINS
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use standardised rates rather than absolute values for choropleth maps
USE · UNITS
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure a clear understanding of the story you are trying to tell with the map
ENSURE · UNSPECIFIED
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
When interaction is needed, provide only the level of detail relevant to the story's purpose
LIMIT · INTERACTIVITY
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Avoid unnecessary decorative details that distract from the map's main focus
AVOID · DECORATION
The Dallas Morning News (DMN)JOURNALISMMAY
If small roads clutter the map, consider drawing small roads at 0.5pt and 40% black; keep major roads white.
CONSIDER · STROKE_WIDTH
The Dallas Morning News (DMN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Draw railroad tracks as layered rules with specified stroke widths and styles (e.g., 1.5pt 50K; dashed .35pt gap 6pt; .5pt 50K).
SET · LINES
The Dallas Morning News (DMN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use 50% black lines for state and country boundaries
USE · BORDER
The Dallas Morning News (DMN)JOURNALISM
Include the state capital with a callout showing the city's name on ear maps
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
The Dallas Morning News (DMN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Always place Dalworth at the bottom of the locator
PLACE · LABELS
The Dallas Morning News (DMN)JOURNALISMMUST
Do not use rounded globes or continent shapes
AVOID · SHAPE
The Economist (ECM)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Track (label) country names out as appropriate to fill space
USE · LABELS
The Economist (ECM)JOURNALISMSHOULD
When only one variable is shown, label it directly with a highlight box instead of using a key
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
The Economist (ECM)JOURNALISMMAY
Add a subtle coastline (border) on detailed maps when land areas need extra contrast
ADD · BORDER
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use curved lines to show movement instead of straight lines
STYLE · LINES
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use headed arrows in flow maps.
USE · SHAPE
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Make arrow widths proportional to flow rate
ENSURE · LINES
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
apply transparency to the colour of bubbles
SET · TRANSPARENCY
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Map bubble size to area, not to radius
ENSURE · DATA_POINTS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Ensure the legend is present.
ENSURE · LEGEND
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Apply transparency to the dots (data points)
TRANSPARENCY · DATA_POINTS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Order the pie chart values properly before charting
ORDER · SEGMENTS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not show more than 5 categories on a pie chart
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMAY
Optionally encode an additional variable by mapping it to the pie chart circle size
CONSIDER · CHART_SIZE
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Simplify maps and the information shown; prefer simpler presentations.
SIMPLE · MAPS
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use colour to draw attention to maps.
HIGHLIGHT · MAPS
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use Georgia Regular or WWF for map typography (secondary copy may use Georgia or Open Sans).
USE · TYPOGRAPHY
Metric Chart1 consensus
USE · METRIC_CHART
Use a Metric chart to convey a single numerical value.
Confidence
100% · 3 orgs · 1 industry
Recurring (non-consensus)(4)
CONSIDER · BAR
Align progress bars vertically to compare values
2 guidelines · 1 org
USE · AXIS_ZERO
Ensure the progress bar starts at zero to make its length easier to read
2 guidelines · 1 org
LIMIT · LABELS
Limit labels to at most 50 characters
2 guidelines · 1 org
USE · BAR
Use a progress bar to show a metric as progress or a quantity within a range
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(31)
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Keep labels short and to a minimum (consider mobile)
CONCISE · LABELS
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Keep label styling consistent, appearing on the same line using either Regular or Semi-bold
CONSISTENT · LABELS
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Do not place metric charts on dark accent colours
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Ensure headings are marked up in an appropriate hierarchy
ENSURE · HEADINGS
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Consider associating the metric value with a secondary background visual (e.g., progress bar or trend) to provide contextual information.
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Prefer representing a qualitative value with a progress bar (or alternatively a plain background color)
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure titles, subtitles, and chart text are clearly described and self-explanatory; be specific but not verbose
ENSURE · HEADINGS
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Use subtitles or Unit Text to clarify choices and prior calculations
CONSIDER · HEADINGS
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Limit the number of digits shown; use abbreviated numbers like $3M instead of $3,000,000
LIMIT · PRECISE_NUMBER
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Use color for aesthetic or functional reasons
USE · COLOR
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Associate a color scale (palette) based on the value range to provide a qualitative indicator of values
CONSIDER · COLOR
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Represent the variable's trend by plotting an overlay (trend) on the metric background
ADD · TREND_LINE
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Metrics may be shown individually or arranged in a grid
CONSIDER · UNSPECIFIED
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Align progress bars horizontally when there are multiple vertical metrics so values can be compared
PLACE · BAR
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Allow mixing columns and rows in the data array and mixing different types of metrics to create a grid.
CONSIDER · GRIDS
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not display multiple secondary visual representations (e.g., progress bar and trend) at the same time; treat them as decorations.
AVOID · DECORATION
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not use longer text or very precise multi-digit numbers in metric charts
AVOID · PRECISE_NUMBER
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Avoid using a zero baseline in metric charts
TRUNCATE · AXIS
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Avoid using negative values in metric charts; if negatives may appear, provide visual guidance to help users
AVOID · UNSPECIFIED
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not consider a Bullet Chart
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not use the metric chart; use tables with conditional formatting instead
AVOID · METRIC_CHART
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use a plain-text box in dashboards for long explanations instead of putting long text in a Metric chart
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Include the percent complete label at the inside end of the blue portion of the bar
LABEL · BAR
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Ensure progress bars use consistent sizing when more than one is shown
ENSURE · BAR
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use a vertical progress column instead of a progress bar when dashboard space and general dashboard design allow
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTMAY
Consider omitting the x-axis (or only show 0% and 100% labels).
AVOID · AXIS
Salesforce (SLF)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not present data without a reference point.
AVOID · UNSPECIFIED
Salesforce (SLF)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not use a too-small polar gauge when space is limited
AVOID · METRIC_CHART
Salesforce (SLF)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Add a reference point (target or average value) to give context
ADD · TREND_LINE
The Dallas Morning News (DMN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Keep intro copy and footnotes under 20 words (130 characters)
LIMIT · UNSPECIFIED
The Dallas Morning News (DMN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Add a beige box for fever charts that have only one line
ADD · DECORATION
Pie Chart8 consensus
AVOID · PIE_CHART
Do not use a pie chart if aggregating all but the most important segment into "others" leaves the chart nonsensical
Confidence
96% · 12 orgs · 6 industries
USE · PIE_CHART
Use a pie chart to compare a set of values to a whole
Confidence
88% · 10 orgs · 7 industries
LIMIT · SEGMENTS
Do not show more than 5 pie chart segments
Confidence
78% · 9 orgs · 6 industries
ENSURE · SUM_TO_100
Use pie charts to highlight how small or how large one part of a whole is.
Confidence
72% · 8 orgs · 6 industries
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Prefer bar, line, or stacked area charts over pie charts to show change over time
Confidence
46% · 5 orgs · 4 industries
ORDER · CLOCKWISE
Start the pie segment at the top (12 o'clock) and arrange segments clockwise
Confidence
46% · 5 orgs · 4 industries
USE · COLOR
Use pie charts only on white backgrounds.
Confidence
40% · 4 orgs · 4 industries
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
Place callouts outside the pie
Confidence
36% · 4 orgs · 3 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(1)
HIGHLIGHT · COLOR
Use color to highlight the most important category if there is one.
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(21)
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Animate the pie chart clockwise when it first appears, completing the circle
START · ANIMATION
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Require a legend containing labels and values for multi-segment pie charts
USE · LEGEND
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMAY
Allow the chart to have between 2 and 5 segments
ENSURE · SEGMENTS
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Place labels for each pie chart segment in the legend
USE · LEGEND
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Ensure the legend's colours match the corresponding pie chart segments
ENSURE · LEGEND
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMAY
Place up to three pie charts side by side when needed; place keys below them in that case.
PLACE · COLUMNS
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Require a 3px divider (stroke) between each pie segment
SET · STROKE_WIDTH
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Do not use more than three categories in a pie chart
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
Delish (Kraft Heinz Food) (KHZ)FOODMUST
Do not use colors that are too similar
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
Delish (Kraft Heinz Food) (KHZ)FOODMUST
Do not use more than one prominent color.
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Sort the data and display values from largest to smallest
ORDER · DESCENDING
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not use a different color for each pie slice
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not use 3D effects on pie charts
AVOID · DECORATION
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not use more than 6 categories in a pie chart
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
OPattern (OPR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Start the main pie slice at 12 o’clock
USE · AXIS_ZERO
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Use pie charts for at most 5 data points
LIMIT · DATA_POINTS
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Include each variable's current value in the legend
LABEL · LEGEND
Sprout Social (SPR)SOCIAL MEDIASHOULD
Use a 1px stroke between pie sections when it improves clarity between similar colors
USE · STROKE_WIDTH
Sprout Social (SPR)SOCIAL MEDIASHOULD
Use keys (legend) to display topic labels in pie charts
USE · LEGEND
TASO (TSO)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not use many segments or segments with values that are close together.
PLACE · LABELS
The Dallas Morning News (DMN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Set the pie diameter to 7 picas for one-column charts
SET · CHART_SIZE
Scatterplot9 consensus
ENSURE · DATA_POINTS
Ensure you are counting the correct variable when showing correlations in a scatterplot
Confidence
100% · 5 orgs · 4 industries
SET · AXIS
Set a maximum value on the x and y axes to remove outliers and highlight the trend in the data
Confidence
100% · 5 orgs · 4 industries
USE · SCATTERPLOT
Use a scatterplot to show an x-y relationship between data points
Confidence
93% · 5 orgs · 3 industries
USE · COLOR
Allow using color alone to distinguish a categorical variable on bubble charts only in rare cases with compelling patterns and clear comprehension
Confidence
78% · 4 orgs · 3 industries
USE · AXIS_ZERO
Use a baseline of zero for the x-axis and y-axis
Confidence
78% · 4 orgs · 3 industries
USE · TRANSPARENCY
Use transparency to show point density when many points overlap in a scatterplot
Confidence
78% · 4 orgs · 3 industries
CONSIDER · TREND_LINE
Sometimes consider showing a trend (regression) line
Confidence
65% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
PLACE · HEADINGS
Summarize dimensions in a highly visible place (e.g., subtitle) to lower the barrier to entry
Confidence
57% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
USE · LABELS
When annotations are long and need more space, place labels outside the chart and use connection lines to link them to the points
Confidence
50% · 3 orgs · 1 industry
Recurring (non-consensus)(1)
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
Show exactly one group per graph
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(37)
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMMAY
Add a third measure to a scatterplot using color, shape, or size (e.g., bubble chart).
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use white gridlines to help read point positions
USE · GRIDLINES
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use subtle line thickness to indicate the state and end of time series (thicker at the start and thinner at the end)
STYLE · LINES
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTMUST
Avoid using trend lines unless they accurately represent a strong correlation.
AVOID · TREND_LINE
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Reduce data point overlap by adjusting chart dimensions or decreasing marker size
AVOID · OVERPLOTTING
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use both marker shape and color to differentiate groups for categorical variables
USE · SHAPE
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add annotations describing data points of interest when applicable.
ADD · DATA_POINTS
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Label groups directly to avoid using a separate legend when possible
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITMUST
Ensure the area of circular markers scales with the data value when using size/bubble charts
ENSURE · SCALE
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not plot so many data points on a single chart that readability is impaired
AVOID · OVERPLOTTING
MailChimp (MCP)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use multiple marker shapes for different sets/categories and cycle through shapes in the order circle, square, triangle, diamond, upside-down triangle
USE · SHAPE
NZZ Visuals (NZZ)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Annotate data points directly when those labels do not obscure other important data
LABEL · DATA_POINTS
NZZ Visuals (NZZ)JOURNALISMMUST
Do not draw extra elements to highlight groups because they clutter the chart
AVOID · DECORATION
Salesforce (SLF)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not show outliers unless color variations are identified
AVOID · DATA_POINTS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Provide clear labels for the X and Y axes and do not color the labels to keep the chart readable.
LABEL · AXIS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use a legend when datasets use different/varying colors
USE · LEGEND
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Add a legend for charts with multiple datasets and favor a vertical layout for easier reading and comparing values
ADD · LEGEND
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Limit the number of datasets to keep the chart readable.
LIMIT · SEGMENTS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Increase dots' opacity to 80% on hover
HIGHLIGHT · DATA_POINTS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Highlight X and Y axis values in tooltips
HIGHLIGHT · TOOLTIPS
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Avoid coloring axis labels
AVOID · LABELS
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Add a regression/trend line to show the relationship between the two variables
ADD · TREND_LINE
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Add a p-value to the scatterplot
ADD · PRECISE_NUMBER
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
When showing more than one grouping, display them in two separate graphs unless the chart is for showing clustering relationships
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
The Economist (ECN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Make x and y axis ticks the same weight and colour; use black only for the zero baseline
CONSISTENT · AXIS
The Economist (ECN)JOURNALISMMAY
When color categories are hard to distinguish, consider highlighting the most significant part of the story
HIGHLIGHT · DATA_POINTS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use an arrowed line on connected scatterplots to show direction when a third ordered variable (often time) is assigned
STYLE · LINES
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use an appropriate measurement interval
USE · UNSPECIFIED
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not plot too many data series.
AVOID · OVERPLOTTING
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Avoid overplotting when many points overlap because overlapping points make relationships between variables hard to identify.
AVOID · OVERPLOTTING
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not interpret correlation as causation.
AVOID · UNSPECIFIED
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
do not use scatterplots to display more than two numeric variables
AVOID · UNSPECIFIED
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Don't: in a scatterplot, we can not only see the values through individual data points but also patterns when the data are taken as a whole.
AVOID · UNSPECIFIED
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Don't assume a single characterization of relationships — they can be positive or negative, strong or weak, linear or nonlinear.
AVOID · UNSPECIFIED
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not use scatterplots to observe the relationship or correlation between two numeric variables
AVOID · SCATTERPLOT
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMAY
Add a regression (trend) line to help the analysis
ADD · TREND_LINE
US Agency for International Development | Office of HIV/AIDS (OHA)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use reference lines or areas to provide context.
USE · GRIDLINES
Small Multiples4 consensus
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Consider sparklines as an alternative to line charts when multiple lines need to be plotted
Confidence
100% · 7 orgs · 4 industries
USE · SMALL_MULTIPLES
Use sparklines to show how values change over time for multiple data sets
Confidence
90% · 6 orgs · 4 industries
CONSIDER · UNSPECIFIED
Consider arranging small-multiple charts in a grid, stacked vertically, or side-by-side horizontally.
Confidence
63% · 4 orgs · 3 industries
ENSURE · AXIS
Use the same axis units, axis ranges, and chart dimensions across charts in a small-multiples group to facilitate comparison
Confidence
45% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(1)
AVOID · SMALL_MULTIPLES
Do not present the multiple-donut-chart variant to data-illiterate audiences
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(26)
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use large font sizes for labels in metric charts
USE · TYPOGRAPHY
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Ensure the scale is identical across worksheets
ENSURE · SCALE
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Limit sparklines to a single series
LIMIT · LINES
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Remove extraneous markings (ticks, labels, tooltips, grid) from sparklines
OMIT · DECORATION
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not use more than 12 values in sparklines
LIMIT · DATA_POINTS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFIT
Arrange small charts in a consistent grid system to make them easy to compare
USE · GRIDS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Keep axis labeling very simple and show only the max and min values so readers can focus on the data trend
SIMPLE · LABELS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Sort categories by their total values in either descending or ascending order
ORDER · SEGMENTS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not use multiple-line charts with more than 4 categories.
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add a tooltip so readers can see the breakdowns
ADD · TOOLTIPS
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not repeat axes for each chart in small multiples
AVOID · AXIS
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Order small multiples in a logical sequence (e.g., by quantitative, ordinal, or temporal variable) when possible
CONSIDER · ORDERING
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Ensure all charts in a small-multiples group are visible together without scrolling or page breaks
ENSURE · CHART_SIZE
MailChimp (MCP)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Ensure data in metric charts sum to 100%
ENSURE · SUM_TO_100
MailChimp (MCP)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Ensure bars have heights (or widths) that are multiples of 8; multiples of 4 are allowed as an exception
ENSURE · BAR_HEIGHT
MailChimp (MCP)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Limit metric charts to fewer than six categories
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Ensure every panel uses the same x and y scales
ENSURE · SCALE
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Limit the number of panels to 12 or fewer
LIMIT · SEGMENTS
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Arrange panels in a logical order to help users interpret the data
CONSIDER · ORDERING
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTMUST
Avoid cluttering small multiples with too many panels
AVOID · CATEGORIES
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not use inconsistent axis scales between panels
AVOID · AXIS
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not omit key reference data that would help users compare panels
AVOID · UNSPECIFIED
Pinterest (PIN)SOCIAL MEDIASHOULD
Make sparklines moderately wider than they are tall to avoid spiky or flat profiles
ENSURE · SPACE_RATIO
RedHat (RHT)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not label axis values in sparklines.
AVOID · LABELS
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Place values aligned to the end when sections mostly begin after 180 degrees, unless the designer chooses otherwise while remaining consistent.
PLACE · LABELS
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Place the chart title at the top-left of the graph
LEFT_ALIGN · HEADINGS
Stacked Area Chart2 consensus
USE · STACKED_AREA_CHART
Use a stacked area chart to represent multiple time series and maintain legibility
Confidence
100% · 4 orgs · 3 industries
AVOID · STACKED_AREA_CHART
Do not use a stacked area chart to show fine differences between values
Confidence
83% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(2)
AVOID · OVERPLOTTING
Minimize data overlap when using multiple area charts
2 guidelines · 1 org
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Prefer a simple line chart instead of a stacked area chart because it is easier to read and avoids colour overlaps
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(10)
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Ensure values are distinguishable using clear color coding
ENSURE · COLOR
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Limit colors to two to three, with one dominant
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Place the main category at the bottom of the stacked area chart
ENSURE · AREA_STACK_ORDER
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not display more than 3 categories
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Show the total by creating a separate bar chart with a different y-axis scale
USE · BAR
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not add interactivity because it requires too many clicks
AVOID · INTERACTIVITY
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Size the chart to the full width of the page
SET · CHART_SIZE
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Set the vertical axis to dashed style with regular weight
SET · AXIS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Order the values to tell the best story
ORDER · AREA_STACK_ORDER
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not apply opacity to colours of the filled areas
AVOID · TRANSPARENCY
Stacked Bar Chart10 consensus
USE · STACKED_BAR_CHART
Use a stacked bar chart to show and compare categorical data when there is more than one variable
Confidence
93% · 8 orgs · 3 industries
USE · COLOR
Use distinctly different colors to improve clarity
Confidence
83% · 6 orgs · 4 industries
AVOID · STACKED_BAR_CHART
Avoid stacked bar charts; prefer grouped bar charts because grouped bars are easier to compare from a common baseline
Confidence
66% · 5 orgs · 3 industries
LIMIT · SEGMENTS
Use stacked bar chart only with 5 or fewer segments
Confidence
66% · 5 orgs · 3 industries
ENSURE · SUM_TO_100
Use stacked bar charts to show how parts contribute to a whole
Confidence
57% · 4 orgs · 3 industries
LIMIT · CATEGORIES
Limit stacked bar chart to two or three categories
Confidence
49% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
ORDER · SEGMENTS
Order subcategories consistently so each column has the same subcategory and color ordering
Confidence
49% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
USE · AXIS_ZERO
Use a zero baseline for bar charts
Confidence
49% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
Use variations of a single color for stacked bar chart segments for ordinal variables
Confidence
49% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Recommend using a stacked bar chart as an alternative to multi-tier pie (sunburst) charts
Confidence
41% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(3)
LEFT_ALIGN · HEADINGS
Align the section label to the bottom-left corner and use regular font weight
2 guidelines · 1 org
AVOID · ABBREVIATION
Do not use acronyms or jargon in axis labels
2 guidelines · 1 org
USE · DATE_FORMAT
Use date format DD Mmm YYYY for stacked bar charts
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(41)
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Place the most important category at the bottom of the plot area and highlight it
PLACE · SEGMENTS
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFP)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use a white line or stroke to create contrast between bar chunks
USE · BORDER
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Sort categorical data by sequence to make comparisons easier
CONSIDER · ORDERING
Elastic UI (ELC)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use a horizontal layout when category labels need more space
USE · HORIZONTAL_LABELS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMAY
Use interactivity to allow users to focus/select and display only one category to improve readability
USE · INTERACTIVITY
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Sort the data by total
CONSIDER · ORDERING
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Place the legend on top where it is most visible
PLACE · LEGEND
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Ensure legend entries follow the same sequence as the chart
ORDER · LEGEND
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add legends only when there are two or more categories
ADD · LEGEND
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add a vertical scroll bar to the chart container when the data list is long and space is limited
ADD · SCROLL_BAR
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add direct labels on top showing the minimum and maximum values (0% and 100%)
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Round numbers up or down in 100% stacked bar charts to ease reading
TRUNCATE · PRECISE_NUMBER
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Include spelled-out names of acronyms below the chart when acronyms are used
LABEL · ABBREVIATION
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Sort the data so the chart is comparable and meaningful
CONSIDER · ORDERING
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not sort the data in alphabetical order
AVOID · ORDERING
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not use ambiguous numeric date formats like '01-04-2020'; use proper date formats.
AVOID · DATE_FORMAT
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Ensure stacked bar segments are separated by at least 1 pt white space to improve readability.
ENSURE · BAR_GAP
Justice Innovation Lab (JIL)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use black or white text for data labels to ensure sufficient contrast with bar colors
USE · LABELS
Liferay (LFR)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Start stacked bar segments left-to-right for horizontal bars and bottom-to-top for vertical bars
START · SEGMENTS
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Label each segment directly with its value
LABEL · SEGMENTS
London City Intelligence (LDN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
If showing a single variable, set the background transparency to 100%
SET · TRANSPARENCY
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Display the total for each bar above the bar
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
Office for National Statistics (ONS)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Avoid overcrowding a single bar with too many segments
AVOID · SEGMENTS
Pajamas Design System (PAJ)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Stacked columns can be symmetric or asymmetric; the number of stacks may vary across groups
CONSIDER · SEGMENTS
Pajamas Design System (PAJ)TECHNOLOGYMAY
use graded transparency to highlight differences in stacked variables and differentiate stacks from groups
USE · TRANSPARENCY
Pajamas Design System (PAJ)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use specific colors sparingly and follow general color guidelines for data visualizations.
LIMIT · COLOR
Pajamas Design System (PAJ)TECHNOLOGYMAY
Group and stack columns in the same chart when there are three dimensions of data
GROUP · BAR
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Make the chart large enough to easily read the data
ENSURE · CHART_SIZE
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Do not include gaps between value segments in stacked bars
AVOID · COLOR_PALETTE
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Ensure at least a 20% margin between bars to avoid clutter
ENSURE · BAR_GAP
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Highlight a bar on hover to indicate focus or clickability
HIGHLIGHT · BAR
Semrush (SMR)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Choose contrasting colors for different categories
SELECT · COLOR_PALETTE
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use bold typography
USE · TYPOGRAPHY
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not include gaps between sections in stacked bar charts
AVOID · BAR_GAP
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Order the bars by size
ORDER · BAR
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Place labels aligned outside the top bar for the stacked fan bar chart variant
PLACE · LABELS
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Change the rotation of labels when the bar angle passes 90° for the stacked fan bar chart variant
AVOID · ROTATED_LABELS
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use a dotted circular axis
USE · AXIS
The Economist (ECN)JOURNALISMMAY
Label each segment value on stacked bars when there are few categories or labeling issues
LABEL · SEGMENTS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Order legend elements in the same sequence as the bars
ORDER · LEGEND
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNR)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Sort the data by total value in descending order for stacked bar charts of categorical (non-ordinal) variables
ORDER · DESCENDING
Table4 consensus
CONSIDER · TABLE_CELL
Consider adding charts in table cells when space is available to show the main-data column
Confidence
100% · 5 orgs · 4 industries
CONSIDER · UNSPECIFIED
Consider using pagination for long or complex tables
Confidence
86% · 4 orgs · 4 industries
RIGHT_ALIGN · TABLE_CELL
Right-justify numbers in table cells
Confidence
78% · 4 orgs · 3 industries
LEFT_ALIGN · TABLE_CELL
Left-align table (table cells)
Confidence
57% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
Recurring (non-consensus)(9)
USE · TABLE
Use a table for small, easily-analyzed datasets
5 guidelines · 1 org
AVOID · GRIDLINES
Avoid busy gridlines or alternating gray rows that distract from the data.
2 guidelines · 1 org
AVOID · SPACING
Do not format the spacing between columns inconsistently.
2 guidelines · 1 org
HIGHLIGHT · TABLE_CELL
Highlight important information in rows, columns, or cells by adding backgrounds or borders.
2 guidelines · 1 org
ENSURE · SPACING
Make the spacing between columns equal
2 guidelines · 1 org
SET · BORDER
Set vertical column borders to 1 pt and black
2 guidelines · 1 org
USE · ABBREVIATION
Use an acronym for long row names and include the full name in the footer
2 guidelines · 1 org
CAPITALIZE · HEADINGS
Use headline-style capitalization for table headings
2 guidelines · 1 org
USE · UNITS
When possible, simplify and round numbers and use short-form units 'k', 'M', and 'B' for thousand, million, and billion.
2 guidelines · 1 org
Ungrouped guidelines(86)
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Use up/down icons to indicate positive or negative values
USE · LABELS
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Allow no more than one icon per table cell
LIMIT · TABLE_CELL
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMAY
Omit a separate indicator because the numeric indicator icon already conveys positive/negative
OMIT · DECORATION
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Give headings concise, clear, meaningful labels
CONCISE · HEADINGS
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Ensure non-stackable tables scroll horizontally on mobile
ENSURE · SCROLL_BAR
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCESHOULD
Use numeric indicators (with up/down arrows) to highlight funds' performance
USE · PRECISE_NUMBER
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Do not change the font colour
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
AVIVA (AVV)FINANCEMUST
Do not use show/hide controls in tables.
AVOID · INTERACTIVITY
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Add interactive elements to the table so it connects to the rest of the dashboard
ADD · INTERACTIVITY
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Ensure text is legible, ideally around 12 points
ENSURE · TYPOGRAPHY
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use dotted grey lines to separate items in the table
USE · BORDER
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMMAY
Place a bubble matrix as a visually striking centerpiece of the dashboard to engage the audience
PLACE · DASHBOARD
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Avoid using scale to communicate quantity
AVOID · SCALE
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use a benchmark to provide additional visual cues for scale in a bubble matrix
USE · SCALE
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Ensure bubble size is scaled appropriately
ENSURE · SCALE
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMMUST
Avoid the bubble matrix when precision is needed; use a bar chart instead.
AVOID · TABLE
Cato Institute (CTO)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Turn on the scroll bar for tables with seven or more rows
START · SCROLL_BAR
Cato Institute (CTO)NON-PROFITMUST
Set the table width to 650 px
SET · CHART_SIZE
Cato Institute (CTO)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Left-align text and numbers in table headers in the first (leftmost) column
LEFT_ALIGN · HEADINGS
Cato Institute (CTO)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Right-align all text and numbers in every column except the first column.
RIGHT_ALIGN · COLUMNS
DHLCARGOSHOULD
use colors sparingly to highlight important information
USE · COLOR
DHLCARGOSHOULD
Use the same color for headlines and borders
USE · HEADINGS
DHLCARGOSHOULD
Highlight table information using a 30% yellow background
USE · COLOR
DHLCARGOSHOULD
Fill every other row with a background color to improve legibility
USE · COLOR
DHLCARGOSHOULD
Highlight important columns with a Postyellow border
HIGHLIGHT · COLUMNS
DHLCARGOMUST
Do not overuse color or highlights
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
DHLCARGOMUST
Do not use different colors for headlines and borders
LIMIT · COLOR_COUNT
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTMAY
Consider using tables as the visualization because tables may be sufficient for the data
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use a table when the dataset's quantitative information uses more than one unit of measure
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTMAY
Consider adding interactivity (filters, sort functions) to tables so users can manipulate and view key data
CONSIDER · INTERACTIVITY
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Include brief but informative titles on tables
ADD · HEADINGS
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use striped tables to improve readability
USE · DECORATION
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Include sorting icons or a checkbox column in data tables
USE · INTERACTIVITY
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Highlight active table rows with fill #F2F5F6 when checkboxes are present
HIGHLIGHT · ROWS
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Add interactive elements (pagination, filters, search bars, icon buttons, sorting icons) to data tables
ADD · INTERACTIVITY
Government of Canada (CAN)GOVERNMENTMUST
Do not include a checkbox column unless there are actions to perform on a specific row of data
AVOID · COLUMNS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Ensure the audience is familiar with this type of data visualization before using it.
ENSURE · TABLE
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Sort the x and y axes so the most important value appears at the top-left
ORDER · AXIS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMAY
Allow data labels to have a white shadow to improve readability on dark or light backgrounds
USE · DECORATION
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMAY
Consider using humanitarian icons to make text more user-friendly
CONSIDER · DECORATION
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Ensure the legend follows the same direction as the data (e.g., highest number on top to match sorting).
ENSURE · LEGEND
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Simplify the table as much as possible so the content is prominent and use proper alignment based on the content
SIMPLE · UNSPECIFIED
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use the most user-friendly date format: DD Mmm YYYY
USE · DATE_FORMAT
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add the date format in the header when using alternative date formats (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD)
ADD · DATE_FORMAT
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Sort the data by the column that is the main message
CONSIDER · ORDERING
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add a filter tool to every column so users can interactively explore different answers
ADD · COLUMNS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Visualize the main data using a bar chart when space is available
USE · BAR
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use light grid lines
USE · GRIDLINES
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not mix units; use a single consistent unit (e.g., round 730M to 0.7B if using B)
AVOID · UNITS
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not use YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY-DD-MM date formats without a description in the header
AVOID · DATE_FORMAT
Humanitarial Data Exchange (HDX)NON-PROFITMUST
Do not use alternating background in tables
AVOID · DECORATION
Royal Statistical Society (RSS)EDUCATIONMAY
Consider using tables for a small number of data points or when precise numbers need to be shown
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Royal Statistical Society (RSS)EDUCATIONSHOULD
Ensure the number of digits is consistent for the same variable within each table row or column
CONSISTENT · PRECISE_NUMBER
Royal Statistical Society (RSS)EDUCATIONMAY
allow the number of digits to differ across variables
CONSIDER · PRECISE_NUMBER
Royal Statistical Society (RSS)EDUCATIONSHOULD
reduce the font size for less relevant numbers when shown alongside more important data
SET · TYPOGRAPHY
Royal Statistical Society (RSS)EDUCATIONMAY
Allow using different fonts and colours when they serve a purpose such as highlighting a particular value
USE · COLOR
Royal Statistical Society (RSS)EDUCATIONMUST
Avoid unnecessary numeric precision in tables; use fewer digits to improve reading and comparison
AVOID · PRECISE_NUMBER
Royal Statistical Society (RSS)EDUCATIONMUST
Do not use landscape orientation unless unavoidable
AVOID · LAYOUT
Royal Statistical Society (RSS)EDUCATIONMUST
Do not use different fonts or colours for decorative purposes
AVOID · TYPOGRAPHY
Royal Statistical Society (RSS)EDUCATIONMAY
Consider using tables as a form of visualization
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Categorize data by underlying structure (e.g., agency, location, rank).
GROUP · UNSPECIFIED
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use alphabetical order when there is no natural order.
CONSIDER · ORDERING
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
List table columns in a logical order based on calculation sequence (e.g., inputs before derived columns)
ORDER · COLUMNS
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use thin gridlines every three to five entries to help readability.
USE · GRIDLINES
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use shading to highlight a column or an entry
USE · COLUMNS
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYMUST
Do not use colors purely for decorative purposes
AVOID · DECORATION
The Dallas Morning News (DMN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Place units only in the first
PLACE · UNITS
The Economist (ECN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use colour highlighting with inverted text to emphasize key details
HIGHLIGHT · COLOR
The Economist (ECN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use alternating row colours to help with reading
USE · ROWS
The Economist (ECN)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use small labelled bar charts to visualize table data when visualization would be helpful
USE · BAR
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Make tables full width of 6.25 inches in PDF products
SHOULD · CHART_SIZE
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITMAY
Allow smaller tables at 50% or 75% of the page width (3.13 or 4.69 inches)
SET · CHART_SIZE
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITMAY
Allow tables on landscape pages to be 8.67 inches wide (100% of the page width)
SET · CHART_SIZE
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Do not have empty columns or rows in tables
AVOID · COLUMNS
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Add a 1pt black border beneath all column headings and the last row in a table.
ADD · BORDER
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Do not use borders within tables by default
AVOID · BORDER
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Keep table text concise and use active voice
CONCISE · TABLE_CELL
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITMAY
Subtitles are optional and may be used to list units or add contextual information in Urban tables and figures.
CONSIDER · HEADINGS
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use sentence capitalization in tables
CAPITALIZE · TABLE_CELL
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use spanner headings for units that apply to multiple cells
USE · HEADINGS
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use row headings when contextual information applies to more than one row.
USE · HEADINGS
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Keep similar table cells at similar widths, except when cells or column headings are lengthy
CONSISTENT · TABLE_CELL
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITMUST
All tables must include a source line
INCLUDE · DATA_SOURCE
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use an asterisk (*) to indicate statistical significance
USE · SPECIAL_CHARACTER
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Define all abbreviations or symbols in notes.
LABEL · ABBREVIATION
The Urban Institute (UBI)NON-PROFITSHOULD
Use symbols in this order for table notes: *, †, ‡, §, ||, # when symbols are used
ORDER · SPECIAL_CHARACTER
Treemap4 consensus
ENSURE · SUM_TO_100
Ensure the visualization allows comparing relative sizes of groups and the distribution of values within a group
Confidence
100% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
USE · DIRECT_LABELS
Use the components of the treemap to label data directly.
Confidence
100% · 3 orgs · 3 industries
USE · TREEMAP
Use treemaps to show hierarchical data as nested rectangles
Confidence
90% · 3 orgs · 2 industries
AVOID · TREEMAP
Do not use treemaps to show relationships between categories; only use treemaps for part-to-whole when parts sum to a meaningful whole
Confidence
80% · 3 orgs · 1 industry
Recurring (non-consensus)(0)
None
Ungrouped guidelines(9)
BBC Audiences Tableau Style Guide (BBA)JOURNALISMSHOULD
Use white outlines to separate sub-groups within color groups
USE · BORDER
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTSHOULD
Use horizontal text for category labels to maximize readability
USE · HORIZONTAL_LABELS
National Institutes of Health (NIH)GOVERNMENTMAY
Consider using a clustered bar chart or column chart when there are few categories, categories are ordinal, or a direct and precise comparison is needed.
CONSIDER · ALTERNATIVE_CHART
Salesforce (SLF)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Sort parent rectangles by size, placing larger ones at the left and/or bottom of the treemap.
ORDER · SEGMENTS
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Use a legend when values are very small
USE · LEGEND
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Avoid large gaps between treemap segments
AVOID · SPACING
SONOS (SNS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Make the point size of labels and values proportional to the size of their segment
ENSURE · LABELS
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Place the largest treemap block at the top-left and arrange remaining blocks left-to-right so smallest are on the right
PLACE · SPACE
Storymaps Arc GIS (AGS)TECHNOLOGYSHOULD
Combine categories so the treemap displays 6–10 categories
COMBINE · CATEGORIES

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