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This is a Bad Example
Posted on: August 23rd, 2009
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Iphone app Breakdown

The Gizmodo blog uses an unusable pie chart in a recent article about iPhone apps.

pie-charts_gizmodo_01

Colors from the problematic color combinations are used. With the missing link from the legend to the chart, color blind have to read the chart by looking at the legend only. This defeats the purpose of a pie chart.

Source, screenshots taken on 22/07/2009

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  • The pie chart goes counter clockwise in the order of the list, so it can be figured out.
  • Well, this is just another example of how unuseful piecharts are. A simple bargraph would have conveyed the message better for colorblinds and others.
    This is my first post here: My interest is visualization of data and I'm colorblind as well.
  • I would agree with dave bug that the actual pie isn't meant to be helpful and regardless of that, all the information is contained in the legend anyway so I would say it is a perfectly usable pie chart (as far as not relying on colour to convey information goes, obviously can't comment on whether the original had a suitable text equivalent or not.
  • Since the percentages are completely fictional, and the entire point of the graphic is absurd humor, the entirety of the humor is gained by reading the legend. The pie graph is a throwaway addition meant purely to draw your eye to the area and not helpful or relevant to the humor.

    With that in mind, the choice of colors (whether color-blind friendly or not) does not defeat the purpose of the pie chart.
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