Friday, August 8th, 2008
Stacking is out
People often use stacked charts to compare components – but the effect rarely works. Learn why that is and what alternatives are available.
Friday, July 25th, 2008
The demise of decograms
We have already bid our farewell to business charts. Now, it’s time to say goodbye to “decograms”. Why? Some recent examples from publications like Spiegel and Focus give us enough good reasons.
Friday, July 11th, 2008
Killing the sacred cow of information
Do we really live in an information society? I don’t think so. Information is as rare – and disinformation, lies and overall sloppiness are more rampant – than ever before!
Friday, June 27th, 2008
The Seventh Dan: Put it in Writing
If you are comfortable enough with presenting data in tables and charts, the next challenge is putting that information into words. The way that Peter Singer backs his positions is an excellent example.
Friday, June 13th, 2008
Numbers are good. (But sometimes none are better.)
Numbers are an aspect of reports. If you don’t understand the background, however, they fall short of their purpose. For Audi and Peugeot, it’s the same story tomorrow in Le Mans.
Friday, May 30th, 2008
Traffic light charts – A black-or-white world (just in color)
Traffic lights in charts are junk. They portray the world in black or white – just using red and green instead. Because they use a bit of threshold voodoo, some people consider them to be an “intellectual” form of chart junk. That makes them even more dangerous – for report authors and consumers alike. And the worst part of it all? The alternatives are so simple.
Friday, May 23rd, 2008
Sports and sparklines
Germany’s Bundesliga soccer season is officially over. Bayern Munich remains the record champion; their local rivals in Nuremberg have also won a record – as the most relegated team. Our graphical review shows the ups and downs of the 2007/2008 season.
Friday, May 9th, 2008
When making analogies, think digital
The KPIs that managers need to drive their business are nothing more than numbers. Speed is measured in numbers, too. That’s why professional pilots only use digital (and not analog) speedometers.
Friday, April 25th, 2008
BI, Robot
Automation is the key to efficient reporting. Forget control robots or Artificial Intelligence – all you need is common sense and just a bit of programming.
Friday, April 11th, 2008
Above all else, show the data
Condensed values often conceal the truth. While reading my favorite newspaper over Sunday morning breakfast, I recently witnessed how deceiving a simple average can be. It’s enough to lose your appetite!
