Preattentive Processing.
A few visual properties are seen instantly. Use them sparingly.
Certain visual properties (color, orientation, size, motion) are detected by the brain in under 200 milliseconds, before conscious attention kicks in. Use these sparingly to highlight what matters. When everything is highlighted, nothing is.
Colin Ware, 2004 · Information Visualization: Perception for Design
Charts that apply this principle
Arc Diagram
Places nodes along a line and draws arcs between connected pairs, revealing clusters and bridges in network data.
Chord Diagram
Displays flows between entities arranged in a circle, with arc widths encoding volume of bidirectional relationships.
Flow Map
Overlays directional flow lines on a geographic map, showing movement of goods, people, or information between locations.
Funnel Chart
Shows progressive reduction through sequential stages, with bar widths encoding volume at each step.
Network Graph
Displays entities as nodes and their relationships as edges in a force-directed or fixed 2D layout.
Node-Link Tree
Hierarchy drawn as explicit parent→child link lines (top-down or radial), where each step in the chain is independently traceable — distinct from a treemap or sunburst, which encode hierarchy via nested area without showing the path that connects nodes.
Sankey Diagram
Shows flows between nodes using bands whose width encodes quantity, revealing how resources move through a system.
Connection Map
Lines connecting locations, showing routes, flights, or relationships between places.
Circle Packing
Nests circles within circles to represent hierarchical data, with area encoding value at each level.
Icicle Chart
A rectangular, space-filling hierarchy chart where nested rectangles hang vertically to show depth and proportion.
Nested Donut
Stacks concentric donut rings to show hierarchical composition, with each ring representing a level of the hierarchy.
Parliament Chart
Arranges dots in a hemicycle to show seat distributions in a legislative body, with color encoding party affiliation.