Innovative Tableau

Chapter 40. How to Highlight a Dimension Member on a Minimalist Dot Plot

There is a chart type that I’ve been gravitating toward a lot but struggling to find a documented name for. The chart consists of dots (or the Circle mark type in Tableau) plotted on a shared axis. I’ve been calling this a dot plot for seemingly obvious reasons, but traditional dot plots are simply a bar chart with the mark type changed from Bar to Circle. My examples are slightly different in that they share one axis, or row of dots, and I usually hide the axis header. Being that this is a plot of dots and includes only the minimum amount of data possible, for now I’m calling this a minimalist dot plot.

This chart type has some big benefits. First, it’s the closest I’ve seen to getting to a 100% data-to-ink ratio. It provides comparisons which help avoid the dreaded, “So what?” Also, by hiding the axis header, the user is forced to focus on the insight of comparing dimension members in relation to one another rather than the exact numbers. Of course, I provide the exact data points on demand via the tooltip when the user hovers over a circle.

The chart type is featured prominently in both my Super Sample Superstore and MLS Standings Reinvented dashboards. In the first, the user can choose which region they hypothetically manage; in the latter, the user can choose their favorite team. In both cases, the dot plots then highlight the selection throughout the dashboard so that the user can see ...