While I appreciate the detailed breakdown and analysis of the whole thing, I actually found the original image incredibly easy to understand. It took a few sec

While I appreciate the detailed breakdown and analysis of the whole thing, I actually found the original image incredibly easy to understand. It took a few seconds to grok, likely because I'm using a phone to browse, but I recognised the soccer pitch immediately, followed by direction of play. The heatmap itself was next (I found the colour choice & contrast was perfect) with the 3D bars being the final detail I picked up on and understood. This whole process took 2-3 seconds, and was completed without any need for a title, description or key. Basically, I really like the original image. Finally, the suggested palettes later in the article feel weak to me. They would've ruined the impact of the warmer, sun/fire/heat colours. edit Typo