"An effective dashboard is the product not of cute gauges, meters, and traffic lights, but rather of informed design: more science than art, more simplicity than dazzle. It is, above all else, about communication." (Stephen Few, "Information Dashboard Design", 2006)
"Part of the problem with using gauges and dials as alerts is that they become part of the background. If 99% of the time the needle sits in the green, the gauge isnʼt worth looking at; then that one per cent of the time when it is in the red, the gauge will go unnoticed." (Brian Suda, "A Practical Guide to Designing with Data", 2010)
"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)
"Dials and gauges present a similar problem to pie charts and other radial diagrams: comparing separated values with different orientations is difficult to accomplish. Without the labels, would anyone understand that the needle has moved from zero to seventy? The angle would have to be estimated and converted to the appropriate scale, and the value would have to be guessed at. Presenting the value on its own would be much more straightforward and informative." (Brian Suda, "A Practical Guide to Designing with Data", 2010)
"Part of the problem with using gauges and dials as alerts is that they become part of the background. If 99% of the time the needle sits in the green, the gauge isn't worth looking at; then that one per cent of the time when it is in the red, the gauge will go unnoticed. There is no need for an “everything is OK” alarm, so why have the gauge when the value is in the green? Make it appear only when there is a warning, then it's obvious when there is trouble! But now we've strayed from our subject – this is less about data and more about user interface design and human behaviour." (Brian Suda, "A Practical Guide to Designing with Data", 2010)
"Fuel gauges are another common place to see data shown with angles. Depending on the direction that the needle points and how slanted it is, we can decide if it’s time to stop at the gas station. [...] Many kinds of meters, gauges, dials, knobs, and faucets tell us what’s happening by the angle of a needle, marker, or handle." (Nancy Organ, "Data Visualization for People of All Ages", 2024)
"[...] meter charts are a third type of visualization that uses angles. Meter charts, which are sometimes called gauge charts, are named after things like electric meters and gas gauges. These visualizations are shaped like donut charts with a bite taken out. They’re mostly used for showing progress toward a goal, or how empty, full, or extreme something is." (Nancy Organ, "Data Visualization for People of All Ages", 2024)
"Pie charts, donut charts, and meter charts are really just stacked bar charts that have been bent—but remember that they should always add up to 100%. Radar charts use angle to show categories and position to show amounts. You can also use angle with position to create charts that show movement, direction, or change - on maps and on graphs with number axes, as well as on visualizations with category axes." (Nancy Organ, "Data Visualization for People of All Ages", 2024)
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