Dual-Axis Charts: Better Alternatives

Alternatives to Dual-Axis Charts In a previous blog post called 'Dual-Axis Charts: Temptations, Traps, Tips', I went through some of the pitfalls of using dual-axis charts. These are charts where you want to compare two metrics or data attributes but there are vastly different scales involved, so you reach for a layout with two y-axes…

Dual-Axis Charts: Temptations, Traps, Tips

The Temptation of Dual-Axis Charts Sometimes when we are trying to show relationships over time between two dimensions of the same metric, or two separate metrics, we run into a situation where differences in the scales involved make it difficult/impossible to really tell what is going on using a standard line chart. One solution we…

Why Pie Charts are Evil

Pie charts are evil in the same way that the devil is evil: through mental trickery they beguile you, clouding your judgment while giving you the sense that you are making perfectly rational decisions.  Pie charts obscure the very data story that they are meant to tell.  And that – for visual data representation –…