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People can quantify the difference between two lines of disparate length much more easily than they can quantify the angle difference of slices of a pie chart[1
by warfangle 17y ago
People can quantify the difference between two lines of disparate length much more easily than they can quantify the angle difference of slices of a pie chart[1]. Pie charts are evil and should never be used. A full 86.1% of this comment is fact; the rest is opinion.
[1] http://lilt.ilstu.edu/gmklass/pos138/datadisplay/badchart.htm http://lilt.ilstu.edu/gmklass/pos138/datadisplay/badchart.ht...
- tom_b 17y agoFor those of us who lack graphical intuition (I'm guilty), look to Stephen Few (who looks to Mr. Tufte) for best ways to visualize business (and scientific) data.
- Groxx 17y agoPersonally, I dislike pie charts for that reason, plus they're hard to scan. The text describing what area means what is floating all over, or connected by a bunch of parallel lines, or (arguably better) mostly absent / in a legend. Bar charts, especially horizontal, have skimmable labels. Pie charts do not.