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The five checks below help you prepare workplace charts for slides or documents. They are practical design choices, not secret rules that guarantee persuasion. The right display depends on what the reader needs to compare.
Data display starts with the question
Duarte recommends choosing presentation data displays around the conclusion and context. Use that principle carefully: the conclusion must follow from the data rather than dictate what you hide.
Before designing, write the question the chart should answer. “Which team has the largest backlog?” needs a different display from “How has backlog changed over time?”
If you cannot state the question clearly, reconsider the analysis. Styling an unfocused chart rarely solves the underlying problem.
1. Match the chart to the comparison
Use a simple format suited to the task. Bars can compare categories; a line can show a time sequence; a table can support exact value lookup.
These are starting points, not absolute rules. The number of categories, audience familiarity and need for precision can change the best choice.
Avoid a complex chart merely because the software offers it. If the reader must decode the display before seeing the comparison, simplify it.
2. Keep the denominator visible
A count can mislead when the population differs. Ten errors in a small workload and ten errors in a very large workload may require different interpretations.
Hypothetical example: Team A reports eight incomplete requests and Team B reports twelve. Before concluding that Team B has the bigger quality problem, check how many requests each team handled and whether the definitions match.
Present counts and rates together where both matter. State the period and inclusion criteria.
Do not replace a denominator with a vague label such as “overall performance.” The reader should be able to identify what is being counted.
3. Choose scales that support an honest reading
Check where the axis starts, how intervals are spaced and whether the range exaggerates a difference. For bar charts, a zero baseline is usually important because bar length carries the comparison.
Other chart types may need a narrower scale to reveal meaningful variation, but label it clearly. Do not use a truncated axis to create a dramatic impression unrelated to the decision.
If comparing several charts, use consistent scales where the audience is expected to compare magnitude. If scales differ, make that difference unmistakable.
Keep forecast and actual values visually distinct.
4. Highlight one finding without erasing context
Use a restrained highlight to direct attention to the relevant category or period. Keep comparison values visible enough to evaluate the claim.
A title such as “Incomplete requests are concentrated in one intake channel” is more useful than “Results,” if the evidence supports it.
Add a brief annotation explaining a relevant event, definition change or missing period. Do not annotate only events that favour your preferred explanation.
If a chart shows correlation, avoid a title that states causation. The display should preserve the difference between “moved together” and “caused.”
5. Make the display readable without colour alone
Use direct labels, clear contrast and enough text size for the actual viewing conditions. A chart readable on your laptop may fail on a shared screen.
Differentiate series with labels or line styles as well as colour. Provide a text summary or accessible table where appropriate.
For an image, write alt text that conveys the relevant comparison, not just “bar chart.” Do not overload the alt text with every value if a nearby table already supplies them.
Check the exported version, since small labels and thin lines can degrade.
A practical chart review
Before presenting, ask a colleague to describe the chart without reading your speaker notes. Listen for the question they think it answers and the conclusion they draw.
Then ask what they would need before acting. They may need a definition, a longer period or uncertainty information absent from the design.
If they misunderstand, check the analysis and labels before adding decorative elements.
Decide what belongs in the chart footnote
A footnote should identify the source, period, definition and a relevant limitation. Keep it readable in the actual delivery format.
Information that changes the main interpretation belongs near the headline or in the spoken explanation, not buried beneath the chart. For example, a definition change that affects the trend needs explicit attention.
Avoid filling the footnote with an unexplained source acronym. Give enough information for a colleague to locate the underlying record through the appropriate authorised route.
If the source is private, do not publish it merely to make the chart look transparent. State the nature of the evidence and keep access controlled.
Check that the exported chart retains the footnote. Cropping and resizing can accidentally remove the very context that makes the display defensible.
Keep the evidence available
Record the source, extraction date and any transformation applied. If data changes frequently, note when the display was last updated.
Include relevant limitations near the chart. A tiny footnote should not carry information that changes the headline conclusion.
Explore Storify and storytelling in presentations for communicating findings. Storytelling in meetings can help you turn the chart into a focused discussion.
For your next chart, test all five checks before selecting a colour palette. A clear display makes the reasoning visible; it does not substitute for sound reasoning.
AI-assisted researched guidance from PeakBelt. Hypothetical examples are labelled in the text. See our editorial approach.