How do you make pie charts worse? By making them hexagons instead! Sorry EPRI, great report, but this is a chart crime.
Replies
Pie charts are already hard for people to interpret correctly. Proportional interpretation depends on position in the circle. By using hexagons the area of the fuel source is no longer related to the value. All you can really see is that gasoline dominates expenditures.
aug 20, 2025, 3:37 pm • 0 0 • view
Additionally, the size of the hexagon used to represent total household expenditures is not easily discernible from one state to another. Only the number in the center helps, which indicates this should be a table.
aug 20, 2025, 3:37 pm • 0 0 • view
You can find the otherwise useful report here! energywallet.epri.com
aug 20, 2025, 3:37 pm • 2 0 • view
It’s intuitive enough to do the job. Nobody takes the time to measure the pie charts. It’s just a metaphor.
aug 20, 2025, 3:45 pm • 0 0 • view
No… it’s easy as pie. Pie charts are good.
aug 20, 2025, 3:44 pm • 0 0 • view
FWIW, there are also bar charts in the report. But I'm reminded of the Amanda Cox quote: "There's a strand of the data viz world that argues that everything could be a bar chart. That's possibly true but also possibly a world without joy."
aug 20, 2025, 4:03 pm • 2 0 • view
It’s so bad I love it!
aug 20, 2025, 3:42 pm • 0 0 • view
It really makes actual sense tho.
aug 20, 2025, 3:43 pm • 0 0 • view