From the course: 20 Rules for Visual Communication

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Rule 18: Don't always indulge in pie charts

Rule 18: Don't always indulge in pie charts

From the course: 20 Rules for Visual Communication

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Rule 18: Don't always indulge in pie charts

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- When visualizing data, there are a lot of common mistakes that people can make. But one of the most notable stems from the incorrect use of pie charts. A pie chart, or donut chart as they are often shown today should be used when depicting a part or parts of a whole. Simply put, if you have to visualize a percentage, nine times out of 10, you should use a pie chart. But as the rule states, you shouldn't always indulge in pie. Take a look at this statistic as an example. Pairing visual content with short form text leads to an 89% increase in comprehension. Recently, I asked an audience of conference attendees to visualize this statistic among others for a contest that I held. Out of over 200 entries, only three correctly showed this statistic. The other 197 or so used either pie charts or typography to show this data point. But this data point is not a part of a whole, it's instead, an increase over a previous number.…

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