Step 3 - Apply SHARC Framework
Purpose
/
Communicative
/
Back to back
Communicative Back to Back
Use a communicative back to back with SHARC to navigate viewers through specific data within 2 groups that have subcategories.
For example, apply the SHARC framework to highlight where the greatest percentage difference is in UK occupations between men and women in 2020.
Anatomy
Title
- Be specific in naming the data you want to highlight within the dataset.
Axis label
- Provide a label for both the  X and Y axes.
Legends
- When you’re displaying 2 or more data points, provide legends.
Apply SHARC Framework
Don'ts - Hierarchy
The title and supporting elements imply all data and details have equal weight. For communicative, state your data story and use supporting elements to create a visual path.
Do's - Hierarchy
The title clearly states a data story to follow. Guide viewers from most important to supporting details through font size and boldness and choice of colors (see Color).
Hierarchy_tag
Don'ts - Scale
Having different scales makes an unfair comparison that is hard to decipher.
DO's - Scale
Keep scales the same in the comparison of both groups.
Scale_tag
Dont's - Readability
When visual clutter dominates the chart, viewers can spend more time trying to visually organize and understand the clutter than interpret the data. (Icon credits: Wilson Joseph, AS Design, Adrien Coquet and gzz from the Noun Project.)
Do's - Readability
By clearing visual clutter, using simple, sans-serif fonts, and simple visual elements (no 3D or drop-shadows, for example). the viewer can easily focus on the data.
Readability_tag
Don'ts - Color
Using the same colors would not direct users to your story. Also, maintain proper contrast between background and foreground.
Do's - Color
If you use more than one color, make sure they work to support your title. In this example, two subcategories are being highlighted, so it needs two non-competing colors to highlight the data in those subcategories. (See References & Resources > Accessibility & Color to learn more about color and accessibility.) Non-text contrast ratio of at least 3:1 is suggested for accessibility by WCAG 2.1.
Color_tag
Dont's - Axis
Random ordering makes it hard to compare across the categories.
Do's - Axis
Arrange the categories in ascending or descending order for better comparison.
Axis_tag
Compare with Bar Chart
Don'ts
Bar charts are good for comparisons, but when you have 2 groups with subcategories, it can become cluttered and difficult to read.
Do's
Side by side chart is good for comparing 2 groups with different subcategories.