Andy Cotgreave
@acotgreave.bsky.social
Tableau evangelist + data communicator.
Newsletter: http://tabsoft.co/sweetspot
Book: http://bigbookofdashboards.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/acotgreave/
Newsletter: http://tabsoft.co/sweetspot
Book: http://bigbookofdashboards.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/acotgreave/
What's your favourite "law" or "rule" of UX/design?
For me, it's been Fitt's Law, ever since Jensen Harris (Microsoft UX legend) describe how it was used to design the Office Ribbon.
Here's an excellent write up about it by Jakob Nielsen www.uxtigers.com/post/fitts-law
For me, it's been Fitt's Law, ever since Jensen Harris (Microsoft UX legend) describe how it was used to design the Office Ribbon.
Here's an excellent write up about it by Jakob Nielsen www.uxtigers.com/post/fitts-law
Fitts’s Law: Big and Near Beats Small and Far
Pointing time depends on two numbers: target distance and target size. Paul Fitts quantified this in 1954, explaining every mouse move and thumb tap since then. Make frequent targets big and near,…
www.uxtigers.com
September 12, 2026 at 3:06 PM
What's your favourite "law" or "rule" of UX/design?
For me, it's been Fitt's Law, ever since Jensen Harris (Microsoft UX legend) describe how it was used to design the Office Ribbon.
Here's an excellent write up about it by Jakob Nielsen www.uxtigers.com/post/fitts-law
For me, it's been Fitt's Law, ever since Jensen Harris (Microsoft UX legend) describe how it was used to design the Office Ribbon.
Here's an excellent write up about it by Jakob Nielsen www.uxtigers.com/post/fitts-law
What do you think of forward-looking statements shown at the start of tech keynotes? Don't they all essentially say, "This slide means we can show you anything we want with no promise of delivery. Thanks for paying to be here."
September 11, 2026 at 11:01 AM
What do you think of forward-looking statements shown at the start of tech keynotes? Don't they all essentially say, "This slide means we can show you anything we want with no promise of delivery. Thanks for paying to be here."
Do we we pay enough attention to academic research's impact on our work? I don't, to my shame. Our goal in the next Chart Chat is to solve that. We're going to each share a paper from the data communication field, with our thoughts on what it teaches those in the workplace
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
Chart Chat 74: From Research to Practice
The world of data visualization research is vast, represented in human computer interaction, psychology, design, computer science, and more.
dtdbook.com
September 4, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Do we we pay enough attention to academic research's impact on our work? I don't, to my shame. Our goal in the next Chart Chat is to solve that. We're going to each share a paper from the data communication field, with our thoughts on what it teaches those in the workplace
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
AI and data visulisation: how and when should we be embracing it?
Come join a conversation with Elijah Meeks on e9 of "The AI Analyst?" on Thu Sep 3, 4pm BST:
dtdbook.com/AIAnalystMeeks
Come join a conversation with Elijah Meeks on e9 of "The AI Analyst?" on Thu Sep 3, 4pm BST:
dtdbook.com/AIAnalystMeeks
The AI Analyst? e9: Make with AI. Make mistakes with AI.
What really changes when AI becomes part of the analytical process? Elijah Meeks joins Andy to find out.
dtdbook.com
September 2, 2026 at 11:01 AM
AI and data visulisation: how and when should we be embracing it?
Come join a conversation with Elijah Meeks on e9 of "The AI Analyst?" on Thu Sep 3, 4pm BST:
dtdbook.com/AIAnalystMeeks
Come join a conversation with Elijah Meeks on e9 of "The AI Analyst?" on Thu Sep 3, 4pm BST:
dtdbook.com/AIAnalystMeeks
Who has opinions on AI and data? Elijah Meeks does: provocative, insightful, and original.
He's joining me on The AI Analyst next week (3 Sep, 4pm BST).
Come join the conversation. Let me know what questions you have.
👉 dtdbook.com/AIAnalystMeeks
He's joining me on The AI Analyst next week (3 Sep, 4pm BST).
Come join the conversation. Let me know what questions you have.
👉 dtdbook.com/AIAnalystMeeks
The AI Analyst? e9: Make with AI. Make mistakes with AI.
What really changes when AI becomes part of the analytical process? Elijah Meeks joins Andy to find out.
dtdbook.com
August 27, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Who has opinions on AI and data? Elijah Meeks does: provocative, insightful, and original.
He's joining me on The AI Analyst next week (3 Sep, 4pm BST).
Come join the conversation. Let me know what questions you have.
👉 dtdbook.com/AIAnalystMeeks
He's joining me on The AI Analyst next week (3 Sep, 4pm BST).
Come join the conversation. Let me know what questions you have.
👉 dtdbook.com/AIAnalystMeeks
Reposted by Andy Cotgreave
One of the most important issues of our time is that the future of humanity is presently being authored by people who have nothing but total contempt for humanity and seek the erasure of everything that gives being a human meaning.
It’s not just annoying. It doesn’t just suck. It’s existential.
It’s not just annoying. It doesn’t just suck. It’s existential.
August 1, 2026 at 1:50 PM
One of the most important issues of our time is that the future of humanity is presently being authored by people who have nothing but total contempt for humanity and seek the erasure of everything that gives being a human meaning.
It’s not just annoying. It doesn’t just suck. It’s existential.
It’s not just annoying. It doesn’t just suck. It’s existential.
Does anyone actually read long walls of text?
In just about every AI Analytics demo I see, a prompt returns a chart and a wall of text.
When I'm exploring data, I find that I rarely read the text. When I do, I skim it.
In just about every AI Analytics demo I see, a prompt returns a chart and a wall of text.
When I'm exploring data, I find that I rarely read the text. When I do, I skim it.
August 1, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Does anyone actually read long walls of text?
In just about every AI Analytics demo I see, a prompt returns a chart and a wall of text.
When I'm exploring data, I find that I rarely read the text. When I do, I skim it.
In just about every AI Analytics demo I see, a prompt returns a chart and a wall of text.
When I'm exploring data, I find that I rarely read the text. When I do, I skim it.
How do you visualise excess deaths? That was a question last asked in detail in the UK during Covid.
And yet, here we are, in the midst of exceptional heatwaves and what these charts (and this report) show is that the UK is not adapting to the changing climate.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
And yet, here we are, in the midst of exceptional heatwaves and what these charts (and this report) show is that the UK is not adapting to the changing climate.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
July 31, 2026 at 9:15 AM
How do you visualise excess deaths? That was a question last asked in detail in the UK during Covid.
And yet, here we are, in the midst of exceptional heatwaves and what these charts (and this report) show is that the UK is not adapting to the changing climate.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
And yet, here we are, in the midst of exceptional heatwaves and what these charts (and this report) show is that the UK is not adapting to the changing climate.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
My favourite vibe-coded app so far is my tribute to BBC Radio 4's Add To Playlist. What were the ups and downs of using Claude to write it?
Find out in Chart Chat 72: Show And Tell.
Live on July 23, 11am ET. Register here: dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
Find out in Chart Chat 72: Show And Tell.
Live on July 23, 11am ET. Register here: dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
July 17, 2026 at 11:01 AM
My favourite vibe-coded app so far is my tribute to BBC Radio 4's Add To Playlist. What were the ups and downs of using Claude to write it?
Find out in Chart Chat 72: Show And Tell.
Live on July 23, 11am ET. Register here: dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
Find out in Chart Chat 72: Show And Tell.
Live on July 23, 11am ET. Register here: dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
Books for the data analyst #3: "Nobody's Girl" by Virginia Roberts Guiffre.
Yes, it's not about data. It's here because we all should bear witness to the suffering she and all the other victims endured. It's a tough read.
More recommendations here: dtdbook.com/3booksJul2026
Yes, it's not about data. It's here because we all should bear witness to the suffering she and all the other victims endured. It's a tough read.
More recommendations here: dtdbook.com/3booksJul2026
July 7, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Books for the data analyst #3: "Nobody's Girl" by Virginia Roberts Guiffre.
Yes, it's not about data. It's here because we all should bear witness to the suffering she and all the other victims endured. It's a tough read.
More recommendations here: dtdbook.com/3booksJul2026
Yes, it's not about data. It's here because we all should bear witness to the suffering she and all the other victims endured. It's a tough read.
More recommendations here: dtdbook.com/3booksJul2026
Books for the data analyst #2: "Magnifica Humanitas" by The Pope. Youv'e probably read others' takes on this (which I guess they generated by putting it in ChatGPT). Read it instead! At 47k words, it's not too long. It's well worth your time. More recommendations here: dtdbook.com/3booksJul2026
July 3, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Books for the data analyst #2: "Magnifica Humanitas" by The Pope. Youv'e probably read others' takes on this (which I guess they generated by putting it in ChatGPT). Read it instead! At 47k words, it's not too long. It's well worth your time. More recommendations here: dtdbook.com/3booksJul2026
Books for the data analyst #1: "All That We See Or Seem" by Ken Liu.
The plot is clunky, but the sci-fi is great. AI is everywhere. Surveillance is everywhere. I loved it becase it's set in a near future that feels very real. More books on Substack: dtdbook.com/3booksJul2026
The plot is clunky, but the sci-fi is great. AI is everywhere. Surveillance is everywhere. I loved it becase it's set in a near future that feels very real. More books on Substack: dtdbook.com/3booksJul2026
June 30, 2026 at 10:45 AM
Books for the data analyst #1: "All That We See Or Seem" by Ken Liu.
The plot is clunky, but the sci-fi is great. AI is everywhere. Surveillance is everywhere. I loved it becase it's set in a near future that feels very real. More books on Substack: dtdbook.com/3booksJul2026
The plot is clunky, but the sci-fi is great. AI is everywhere. Surveillance is everywhere. I loved it becase it's set in a near future that feels very real. More books on Substack: dtdbook.com/3booksJul2026
Reposted by Andy Cotgreave
The biggest story in the world right now is that the president of the United States is a demented old man who takes pleasure in torturing and killing people and is committing crimes with impunity. And yet most legacy media outlets are too cowardly to tell it like it is.
April 5, 2026 at 4:51 PM
The biggest story in the world right now is that the president of the United States is a demented old man who takes pleasure in torturing and killing people and is committing crimes with impunity. And yet most legacy media outlets are too cowardly to tell it like it is.
Claude's PowerPoint add-in makes Copilot look awful.
open.substack.com/pub/howtospe...
open.substack.com/pub/howtospe...
Claude's killed Copilot in PowerPoint and Excel
It's a master data presentation maker. But who's controlling the editorial decisions made by LLMs?
open.substack.com
March 31, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Claude's PowerPoint add-in makes Copilot look awful.
open.substack.com/pub/howtospe...
open.substack.com/pub/howtospe...
What were your favourite Olympics charts?
We'll share ours in Chart Chat this week. Animations, medal counts, bump charts and more: all dissected by a bunch of experts (me, Amanda, Steve and Jeff!).
👇Live on Thu 12, 11am ET👇
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
We'll share ours in Chart Chat this week. Animations, medal counts, bump charts and more: all dissected by a bunch of experts (me, Amanda, Steve and Jeff!).
👇Live on Thu 12, 11am ET👇
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
Chart Chat 69 -- An Olympic Lightning Round
Celebrating medal-worthy charts from the Olympic games and the design touches that make them great.
dtdbook.com
March 11, 2026 at 12:37 PM
What were your favourite Olympics charts?
We'll share ours in Chart Chat this week. Animations, medal counts, bump charts and more: all dissected by a bunch of experts (me, Amanda, Steve and Jeff!).
👇Live on Thu 12, 11am ET👇
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
We'll share ours in Chart Chat this week. Animations, medal counts, bump charts and more: all dissected by a bunch of experts (me, Amanda, Steve and Jeff!).
👇Live on Thu 12, 11am ET👇
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
How do you *prepare* to present data?
⚙️Morphs, labels, Logitech Spotlight: they're the tools.
👁️👁️The purpose? To make your eyes look where I want you to look at any given moment.
I'll share more tips in Chart Chat 68 with Steve, Jeff and Amanda on Wed Feb 25th, 11am EST.
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
⚙️Morphs, labels, Logitech Spotlight: they're the tools.
👁️👁️The purpose? To make your eyes look where I want you to look at any given moment.
I'll share more tips in Chart Chat 68 with Steve, Jeff and Amanda on Wed Feb 25th, 11am EST.
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
Chart Chat 68 -- Some Deep Dives
Jeff will conduct a deep dive into box plots and Steve will ask Amanda, Andy, and Jeff to share how they go about giving talks about data
dtdbook.com
February 21, 2026 at 9:29 AM
How do you *prepare* to present data?
⚙️Morphs, labels, Logitech Spotlight: they're the tools.
👁️👁️The purpose? To make your eyes look where I want you to look at any given moment.
I'll share more tips in Chart Chat 68 with Steve, Jeff and Amanda on Wed Feb 25th, 11am EST.
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
⚙️Morphs, labels, Logitech Spotlight: they're the tools.
👁️👁️The purpose? To make your eyes look where I want you to look at any given moment.
I'll share more tips in Chart Chat 68 with Steve, Jeff and Amanda on Wed Feb 25th, 11am EST.
dtdbook.com/CCAndyRef
Could Kingpin, Spiderman's nemesis, be the greatest data leader of all time?
Allow me to make my case:
youtu.be/RaFiip1TsZM
#dataanalysis #movies
Allow me to make my case:
youtu.be/RaFiip1TsZM
#dataanalysis #movies
The Secret Data Culture of Marvel's Super Villains
Does Kingpin have the BEST data culture of all super villains? 🕷️📊
In this episode of "Real Time Data," we’re diving into the stunning world of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to see if Wilson…
youtu.be
February 14, 2026 at 9:29 AM
Could Kingpin, Spiderman's nemesis, be the greatest data leader of all time?
Allow me to make my case:
youtu.be/RaFiip1TsZM
#dataanalysis #movies
Allow me to make my case:
youtu.be/RaFiip1TsZM
#dataanalysis #movies
🤯Am reading "Around The World in 80 Games" by @marcusdusautoy.bsky.social. In it, he described the "triangle game" (good for actors, interesting maths). In the past, I'd be left to imagine how that looked. But now, with just one prompt, I can build it. It's astonishing.
(cc @ebertini.bsky.social)
(cc @ebertini.bsky.social)
February 13, 2026 at 10:23 AM
🤯Am reading "Around The World in 80 Games" by @marcusdusautoy.bsky.social. In it, he described the "triangle game" (good for actors, interesting maths). In the past, I'd be left to imagine how that looked. But now, with just one prompt, I can build it. It's astonishing.
(cc @ebertini.bsky.social)
(cc @ebertini.bsky.social)
🤯Am reading "Around The World in 80 Games" by @marcusdusautoy.bsky.social. In it, he described the "triangle game" (good for actors, interesting maths).
In the past, I'd be left to imagine how that looked. But now, with just one prompt, I can build it. It's astonishing.
(cc @ebertini.bsky.social)
In the past, I'd be left to imagine how that looked. But now, with just one prompt, I can build it. It's astonishing.
(cc @ebertini.bsky.social)
February 13, 2026 at 9:49 AM
🤯Am reading "Around The World in 80 Games" by @marcusdusautoy.bsky.social. In it, he described the "triangle game" (good for actors, interesting maths).
In the past, I'd be left to imagine how that looked. But now, with just one prompt, I can build it. It's astonishing.
(cc @ebertini.bsky.social)
In the past, I'd be left to imagine how that looked. But now, with just one prompt, I can build it. It's astonishing.
(cc @ebertini.bsky.social)
Misinformation comes at us in waves, big and small. It might be "just" a truncated y-axis, but it is an indication of the contempt the Trump administration has for us.
Lesson:
1️⃣Don't truncate y-axes with bars
2️⃣Don't be selective with your data
#datagraphics #data
Lesson:
1️⃣Don't truncate y-axes with bars
2️⃣Don't be selective with your data
#datagraphics #data
February 12, 2026 at 12:38 PM
Misinformation comes at us in waves, big and small. It might be "just" a truncated y-axis, but it is an indication of the contempt the Trump administration has for us.
Lesson:
1️⃣Don't truncate y-axes with bars
2️⃣Don't be selective with your data
#datagraphics #data
Lesson:
1️⃣Don't truncate y-axes with bars
2️⃣Don't be selective with your data
#datagraphics #data
Visited the Robert Crumb show at Zwirner Gallery in London today. Fascinating.
February 5, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Visited the Robert Crumb show at Zwirner Gallery in London today. Fascinating.
Task Complete: 3100 press ups ("push ups" to you all in America) in January.
This was really hard. If you have anything to spare and are able to donate, please visit my fundraising page
dtdbook.com/100cruk
#cancerresearch
This was really hard. If you have anything to spare and are able to donate, please visit my fundraising page
dtdbook.com/100cruk
#cancerresearch
February 1, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Task Complete: 3100 press ups ("push ups" to you all in America) in January.
This was really hard. If you have anything to spare and are able to donate, please visit my fundraising page
dtdbook.com/100cruk
#cancerresearch
This was really hard. If you have anything to spare and are able to donate, please visit my fundraising page
dtdbook.com/100cruk
#cancerresearch
Dot-density pie chart or bar chart?
Jake Steinberg from the Minnesota Tribune created a great chart that focuses on the gist ("Far too many ICE/CBP officers") of the data. A bar chart would allow for easier decoding of the values, but that's not always the point.
#ICE #Minnesota
Jake Steinberg from the Minnesota Tribune created a great chart that focuses on the gist ("Far too many ICE/CBP officers") of the data. A bar chart would allow for easier decoding of the values, but that's not always the point.
#ICE #Minnesota
January 29, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Dot-density pie chart or bar chart?
Jake Steinberg from the Minnesota Tribune created a great chart that focuses on the gist ("Far too many ICE/CBP officers") of the data. A bar chart would allow for easier decoding of the values, but that's not always the point.
#ICE #Minnesota
Jake Steinberg from the Minnesota Tribune created a great chart that focuses on the gist ("Far too many ICE/CBP officers") of the data. A bar chart would allow for easier decoding of the values, but that's not always the point.
#ICE #Minnesota
Opinion | How Much Can One Man Make From Being President? Superb data storytelling, choosing emotion over accuracy.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
January 28, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Opinion | How Much Can One Man Make From Being President? Superb data storytelling, choosing emotion over accuracy.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
A guide to bringing Europe's seas back to life europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/a-guide...
A guide to bringing Europe's seas back to life
As a child, I used to run through the shallow parts of the Mediterranean Sea, terrified that crabs might nip at my toes. Now, less than thirty years l
europeancorrespondent.com
January 27, 2026 at 8:36 PM
A guide to bringing Europe's seas back to life europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/a-guide...