Data Visualization

Visualization is communication. Every visual element must serve understanding.

Critical Rules

🚨 Use established algorithms. Graph layout, tree layout, spatial indexing—these problems are solved. Check dagre, d3-force, ELK.js before implementing anything custom.

🚨 Choose encodings by perceptual accuracy. Position beats length beats angle beats area beats color. Prefer bar charts over pie charts over bubble charts.

🚨 Never rely on color alone. 8% of men are colorblind. Use shape, pattern, or labels as backup encoding.

🚨 Match rendering to scale. SVG for <1000 elements, Canvas for 1000-10000, WebGL for >10000.

1. Visual Encoding

Marks & Channels