Field Notes · Vol. 01 · May 2026
Five chart mistakes. Five fixes.
The chart should be the artifact. Not the wallpaper around it.
Pie chart with too many slices
01 / 05
Before
Eight wedges. Good luck ranking them.
The eye can’t compare angles. Which slice is biggest? You’re guessing.
After
Sorted bars. Rank is instant.
Length beats angle. Sort descending. Highlight the one that matters in navy.
3D bars distort the data
02 / 05
Before
Perspective lies about height.
Tilt plus shadow equals ambiguity. Which bar is actually tallest?
After
Flat bars. Honest height.
2D removes the lie. Q2 wins. Obvious in half a second.
Dual y-axis spaghetti
03 / 05
Before
Two scales. One chart. Zero clarity.
Two lines, two scales, false correlations every time.
After
Small multiples. Each metric, its own frame.
Same x-axis, four panels. Patterns jump. No false drama.
Rainbow legend, lost reader
04 / 05
Before
Eyes ping-pong: chart, legend, chart, legend.
Five colors. Five lookups per glance. Cognitive tax.
After
Label each line at its endpoint. Gray the rest.
One protagonist in navy. Supporting cast in gray. Story is instant.
Data table as wallpaper
05 / 05
Before
50 numbers. Where’s the signal?
Numbers are exact. Patterns are invisible.
After
Heatmap. Pattern in one glance.
Thursdays in May are the spike. You see it before you read it.