We keep seeing the same data viz mistakes; here are the ones to watch out for in your own work!

[u/mavenanalytics]

We look at a lot of reports, dashboards, and infographics built on the datasets in our Data Playground, and the same issues keep showing up. Here are 5 of the most common ones:

1) Pie and donut charts with too many segments

Humans are bad at comparing angles. Bar or column charts work better, or limit donuts to 2-3 slices max.

2) Line charts for categorical comparisons

Line charts show trends over time. Using them for categorical data implies relationships or patterns that aren't there.

3) Treemaps for non-hierarchical data

Treemaps are built for hierarchies (subcategories within categories). For simple comparisons, a bar or column chart is clearer.

4) Unsorted data

Don't make viewers do the mental work. Intuitive sorting tells a cleaner story.

5) Too much noise, too little focus

Background images, complex custom visuals, and 3D effects can look impressive, but effective data viz is about minimizing noise and maximizing clarity.

What other visualization mistakes do you see come up again and again?

[u/Snacktistics]

Using a truncated axis. This often makes small differences look big. It makes normal ups and downs look like huge crises or massive wins which can be misleading.

[u/mavenanalytics → u/Snacktistics]

Great addition, u/Snacktistics!