Dark Horse Analytics
darkhorseanalytics.com · Company blog · on HN since 2013
Dark Horse Analytics is a data consultancy whose blog covers data visualization, such as decluttering charts and tables.
What HN saysHN commenters share its 'Data looks better naked' and 'Clear off the table' posts, calling one the best presentation of the point they've seen.
19HN people shared it
7linked it in comments
13stories submitted
193story points
2 years agolast shared
2013people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Data looks better naked6 people · 177 points · first shared 2013 · 48 comments on HN
- 2Clear Off the Table: How to improve the readability of data tables3 people · 1 points · first shared 2014 · discussion on HN
- 3Breathing City2 people · 5 points · first shared 2014 · discussion on HN
- 4Salvaging the Pie (2014)2 people · 2 points · first shared 2017 · discussion on HN
- 5Visualizing Distributions1 people · 3 points · first shared 2017 · discussion on HN
- 6Naked pie charts (2016)1 people · 2 points · first shared 2018 · discussion on HN
- 7Remove to Improve (The Data-Ink Ratio)1 people · 1 points · first shared 2013 · discussion on HN
- 8Visualizing Distributions1 people · 1 points · first shared 2016 · discussion on HN
- 9Clear Off the Table1 people · 1 points · first shared 2014 · discussion on HN
- 10Data looks better naked clear off the table1 people · first shared 2019
- 11Data looks better naked clear off the table1 people · first shared 2017
What HN people wrote when they linked it
steamer25 · 2017-10-20
Best presentation of your point I've seen:
http://www.darkhorseanalytics.com/blog/data-looks-better-naked/
ckluis · 2017-02-17
Great GIF of these concepts: http://www.darkhorseanalytics.com/portfolio/2016/1/7/data-looks-better…
viggity · 2014-06-30
haven't used splunk, but IIRC, they focus on logging. Tableau is a better comparison. They (like excel) are the "do everything" solution. Meaning that if you want to change/tweak a chart or come up with a new chart type, you can. But most people don't know how to do that effectively and you can shoot yourself in the foot more easily.
Machete is geared towards doing only a few things, but knocking them out of the park. We try to follow data viz best practices by labeling elements directly, killing gradients, etc. (see http://darkhorseanalytics.com/blog/data-looks-better-naked/). Also, all of our animations are informative. Tableau will show you a bar chart, then you'll filter and the screen turns grey for a few seconds then all the bars "bounce" back in. It causes users to lose perspective on their data (aka change blindness). We try to have object constancy, meaning the visual element on charts will morph/transition smoothly from one state to the next as filters are applied. It is much easier to tell what is happening to your data that way.
Tableau is a great product, but they're a minivan. They can do a ton of stuff, but they're not that fun to drive. We're trying to turn Machete into a ferrari - you can't take 5 kids to soccer practice or haul groceries, but it'll get you from A to B pretty damn fast.
my email is in profile if you want to get in touch. Thanks for the kind words.
ttepasse · 2024-04-06
This mini presentation goes around sometimes:
https://www.darkhorseanalytics.com/blog/clear-off-the-table
et-al · 2022-09-14
Data Looks Better Naked: Clear Off the Table - https://www.darkhorseanalytics.com/blog/clear-off-the-table
yosamino · 2019-06-11
I'm fond of the condensed way similar advice is presented here: https://www.darkhorseanalytics.com/portfolio/2016/1/7/data-looks-bette…
chaz · 2013-12-23
The original source with blog post: http://darkhorseanalytics.com/blog/data-looks-better-naked/