Write a chart design checklist for my team
Writes a one-page checklist of 12 checks that a team can run on any chart before it is shared, tailored to your audience and tools.
Task:
Write a one-page checklist of 12 checks that my team runs on every chart before it is shared.
Context:
My team makes charts for [audience] in [tools] and shares them as [slides, reports or web pages]. The mistakes we make most often are [typical mistakes]. People who run the checklist have [no, some or a lot of] design training.
Rules:
- Group the checks into message, data, design and delivery, with three checks per group.
- Write each check as a yes or no question that takes under 20 seconds to answer, with a few words on what a no looks like.
- Cover the title, axis start, labels, units, source, color use and a check that someone unfamiliar with the data can state the message.
- Keep the checks independent of one tool, and end with a rule for who has the final say when two people disagree.
Result:
The checklist as four groups of three yes or no questions, each with its no signal, then the final-say rule in one line.