Plan the interactions for an interactive chart
Plans which interactions an interactive chart needs, such as filters, tooltips and drill-down, and which to leave out so readers are not lost.
Task:
Plan which interactions my chart needs, in what order a reader meets them, and which ones to leave out.
Context:
The chart shows [what it shows] to [audience], who use it on [desktop, phone or both]. The three questions readers should be able to answer are [question 1], [question 2] and [question 3]. My tool or library is [tool, or "not chosen yet"].
Rules:
- Link each interaction, such as hover details, filters, highlights or drill-down, to one of the three questions, and drop any interaction that answers none.
- Describe the default view before any click, and what the reader sees after the first, second and third interaction.
- Say what must also work without hovering, for touch screens and keyboard users, and what the chart shows when printed.
- Mention that available interactions depend on the tool and tell me to check my tool before committing to the design.
Result:
A table with the columns interaction, question it answers and fallback without hover, then the default view and the three-step reader path in at most five lines.