Scattergraphs are my favorite.
Yet, I often sense great hesitation to use this powerful visualization. Join my crusade to make scatters realize their true potential and value! Here are three ideas to consider…
First, my kids learned scatters in 3rd grade, right after bar charts. Now, they learned “x-y plots,” so maybe this is a marketing problem. Should visualization software — and more importantly we practitioners — change our vocabulary?
Second, in Excel, which expanded the possibilities of charting, scatters are a bit rough to work with and that may be discouraging users, even though newer software (from every vendor) delivers better results with less effort.
Third, today’s software makes it so magically simple to create sophisticated scatters. It’s easy to see how your straightforward message could become confusing with layers of color, shapes, and sizes. Remember, the goal is to communicate clearly.
What are your thoughts? Please like, retweet, and share this post if you agree!
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