Imagine a world without color, what would it be? It seems to be emotionless and tedious, right? Several findings show the close-knit relationship between color and human psychology. Color is actually of paramount importance in the way it affects our brains to process information. If you know how to use color properly and strategically, it helps to increase memory, and stimulate mood shifts. Moreover, it impacts physiological reactions, draws attention to specific patterns, and so on. As a data analyst, besides analyzing data, designing an actionable and interactive dashboard that can tell their story matters. Therefore, utilizing compatible colors in Data Visualization should always be considered.
Color has been a very powerful way to communicate with the audience in data visualization. Certain colors have their voices which are associated with your data visualization purpose or your target audience, the story you will tell, etc. Wise use of color in your Dashboard not only makes your visuals more attractive but also allows your audience to easily get complete insights into the Dashboard. In this post, we will show you some tips on dashboard colors to make your data visualization into a story-telling vibe that captivates your audience.
As a data analyst, it’s crucial to be aware of the common association between colors and their meanings to easily tap into the power of colors in data visualization. To associate the audience's mind with your data and trigger better understanding, use colors that are likely to bond. For example, using the colors of a nation’s flat to convey the message of that data related to that country.
To present your Dashboard color, let's focus on your target audience. This is what I always mention in almost every post. Ensure their expectations to distinguish which colors are shown and their meanings. The good usage of them will clear away the audience’s confusion as well as make your dashboards easier to digest. Therefore, I will give you some tips to showcase your colors which are in line with their meanings on your Dashboard.
Green is often used for good things and read presents for the bad
Red is often shown as attention. It is one of the most visible colors that humans tend to pay attention to first. However, when using this color to highlight or make a contrast among others, ensure that your audience would not mislead that red represents the negative.
Regardless of natural colors, carefully assign your colors with variables. For example, use green to illustrate the forest, blue for the lake, and so on
When it comes to colors for gender data, stereotypical pink-blue combinations are not the norm anymore. Why was that? In western culture, pink has the meaning of weak girls who love dolls and are not as deserving as boys. And vice versa, blue is for strong boys. And it tends to become a stereotype. While some people still apply this stereotype, there are many types of research show that we can use cold colors for men (blue or purple) and warmer colors for women ( orange, yellow, or warm green)
Some tend to skip this step because they consider it unimportantly. Nevertheless, the background of your Dashboard has a significant effect on the illustration of colors if you are unsure of the contrast between the background and the colors of your data points. One of the safest ways to determine your background color is by choosing neutral colors such as: white or black. Or you can apply an undertone or any colors whose tones seem similar to black or white.
It’s always good for deciphering data with color. Because the human brain struggles to process many different colors at the same time, it’s vital to use a limited color set in your charts to allow audiences to easily and quickly distinguish between categories. So, how many colors are enough? Keep within six or fewer distinct colors. However, be smart when using colors. On a color wheel with 12 colors, let wisely choose colors that are not right next to each other. If not, you will make your visualization hard to distinguish.
Did you know that “62-90% of a first impression is based on how someone is recognizing color in the situation”? Don’t want your stakeholders to squint their eyes to delve into which colors are assigned for which variables? Let’s utilize colors to stand out your information and ensure your audiences interpret your data at glance. But how to highlight your data to distinguish it from the others?
It is so easy. You can use bright or saturated colors to make the data striking. For instance, you can choose deep red or orange for the highlighted variables, and for less important variables, gray is the best option. Another way you can consider this is by using bright colors for the most crucial variables and muted colors for the less crucial ones.
If your Dashboard features multiple charts or graphs and variables appearing in these multiple charts for different storytelling purposes. In this case, keep using the same color for the same variables. By doing so, your Dashboard isn’t overly colorful. Moreover, it helps your audiences to promptly identify which variable is referred to in each chart and capture your story continuously. In contrast, if you use several colors to illustrate single variables across charts, you are changing the meanings of the variables and confusing readers, making your dashboards harder for audiences to understand
