✏️Alex Kolokolov - Collected Quotes

"A donut chart serves the same purpose as a pie chart, built with the same parameters, with the only difference being the hole (or properly termed, the 'donut hole') in the center. [...] What purpose does the hole serve? Nothing special. We can put the total value there, but there is no such standard option. We can get this result combining two visuals: donut chart and card with total value." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"A great visual metaphor for representing structure is the pie chart. We divide it into slices and examine who got the largest piece [...] The emphasis is not on quantitative comparison (bigger or smaller), as with bar charts, but on the part of the whole (percentages)." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"A pie chart is quite simple to create, and sometimes you may want to add a unique feature or 'cherry on the pie'. However, experiments with such traditional visualizations often lead to unsuccessful results. For classic visualizations, it’s best to follow the principle of 'one thought, one chart'.” (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"A word cloud is a special visual representation that displays a set of textual values (or categories) using fonts of different sizes and colors. The larger the font, the more frequently that category appears." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"It turns out that the visual part of [gauges] does not convey significant information; it merely serves as an aesthetically pleasing frame for the total value. However, on a dashboard, we typically need to save space and highlight key information, and a standard card would be better suited for this task." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"Optimally, the Sankey diagram should transcend the appearance of a tangled web of spaghetti and instead captivate the user’s attention, guiding it toward the pivotal elements. We highly encourage delving into creative experimentation with data intricacies and visual dimensions, aiming to preserve lucidity and depth in the presentation of information." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"Scatterplots are great for statistics and mathematical data analysis, but their capabilities are limited within the context of business tasks." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"Pie and donut charts have the same purpose - visualizing the structure for a small number of categories (usually no more than six). These charts are built using the same parameters, with the only difference being that the donut chart has an inner space. They don’t have x-and yaxes, and for customization, you need to follow simple steps." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"Structure shows which segments and categories contribute the most to the overall result. For visualizing such data, a circle divided into sectors - a pie chart - is usually used. A donut chart has the same meaning, is built on the same parameters, and differs only in the space inside." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"Sometimes cards can be quite sophisticated, containing multiple deviation indicators (versus target, previous year) and even sparklines or bullet charts. [...] The subject of cards is highly significant, and we believe that half of a dashboard’s success depends on them." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"The decomposition tree is an interactive visualization for hierarchical data. The concept is to take a single metric and drill it down into various dimensions." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"The aster plot is a visualization that, like radar charts, can compare values across multiple categories. It resembles a donut chart, where the value determines the height of the slicer instead of its width. It is similar to a radar chart but with only one data series (multiple series cannot be displayed)." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"The radar chart allows you to compare values across multiple scales. These scales emanate from a central point, visually resembling a radar. A point is placed on each scale, and they are connected to form a polygon. Each category results in its own shape, and when overlaid, they create a pattern resembling a spider web; hence, it is often referred to as a spider chart." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"The Sankey diagram is primarily designed to showcase intricate, multistage processes, where data flows from one stage to another, branching out along the way. However, when you have only two categories of data - source and destination - it’s tempting to construct a Sankey diagram, which is easy to do and can yield a striking visualization." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"Treemap is a visualization type used to display hierarchical data in a more structured way than pie or donut charts. In a treemap, rectangles are used instead of sectors. A treemap utilizes space more efficiently and accommodates a larger number of elements." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)

"What’s the difference between them? Studies have shown that they are perceived almost equally. Our eyes gauge the size of the outer arc: a quarter, a third, half, and so on. We surveyed our students and clients to find out which option they prefer. Some say that the ring (donut) looks somehow fresher and more interesting because the pie chart has become boring. But for others, the circle seems clearer. You can choose according to your taste. However, we prefer classic pie charts because they utilize the entire area of the figure for visualization." (Alex Kolokolov & Maxim Zelensky, "Data Visualization with Microsoft Power BI", 2024)