Case study 009 · Data Visualization Guidelines

Clear, consistent charts everywhere

Industry: Financial services
Role: Experience Design Lead
Company: Publicis Sapient
Year: 2024

A team discussing work around a meeting table

01 / Challenge

50+ designers, no shared standard

More than 50 designers were building financial charts on their own, which confused clients and slowed development. I helped write the guidelines now used across all products.

Inconsistent visual language

Each product team had its own approach.

Repeated problem-solving

Designers kept re-solving the same chart problems.

Accessibility gaps

Uneven accessibility created compliance risk.

Guidelines page: pie and donut chart color, style, annotation and shape treatments — Fig. 01 — Color, style, annotation and shape treatments for pie and donut charts

02 / Process

01DiscoveryAudited charts across design groups.
02Knowledge sharingBrought real advisor-presentation experience.
03Collaborative creationWeekly sessions on tricky edge cases.
04Document reviewReviewed for clarity at every level.

Pie and donut charts: slice order, minimum size and legend rules — Fig. 02 — Chart-by-chart rules and when to use each format

Slope graphs: when to use, what they visualize and format options — Fig. 02 — Chart-by-chart rules and when to use each format

03 / Outcome

Faster development and consistent, accessible charts across every product.