Icon charts: examining the hidden flaws and seeking better solutions

#33: Icon chart alternative

Graph by the author

Using an icon chart is tricky because the interpretation is not intuitive. Some people might compare the change in the area and others in the radius; therefore, the assessed value can differ significantly. Moreover, Cleveland and McGill’s study shows that assessment of the change in area is less accurate than the other elementary perceptual tasks like position, length, or even angle. That means the icon chart might be good for showing an overall trend but not for an accurate comparison.

Take a look at the Statista chart below. There are a couple of issues there, but the most eye-catching one is the usage of the icon chart. The bar chart on the left shows the share of respondents who have used the following AI tools in the past 12 months. The icon chart on the right shows the percentage of prior users who declared that they would use the tool again. Due to the small range and continuous scale, the size difference is barely noticeable, let alone comparable.

Chart recreated by the author. Source of the original infographic: ChatGPT Is the Most Tried AI Tool and Users Stick to It, Statista

Good data visualization solutions