Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Quick answers
When should I pick Arrows & connectors?
When the story is: sequence, cause, download/click targets, map flow.
When should I avoid Arrows & connectors?
Skip it in cases like: every object has an arrow — then none of them mean anything.
Who invented or popularised it?
Heraldic piles and map north arrows; modern CTA chevrons from 20th-c. print ads
What does it encode?
a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause
Is it OK in ads?
Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure.
Will a teacher accept it?
Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present.
Arrows & connectors encodes values as a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause. Heraldic piles and map north arrows; modern CTA chevrons from 20th-c. print ads.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits sequence, cause, download/click targets, map flow. Skip it when every object has an arrow — then none of them mean anything.
Use when
- Use when 1 — Use Arrows & connectors when the story is sequence, cause, download/click targets, map flow.
- Use when 2 — Build the first draft in Excel or Google Sheets, then restyle — do not screenshot.
- Use when 3 — In PowerPoint, one Arrows & connectors per slide, claim in the title.
- Use when 4 — For lab reports and poster boards, this form works when the question is comparison or process.
- Use when 5 — In Meta, Google and retail print, keep one number visible at thumbnail size.
Avoid when
- Avoid when 1 — Skip Arrows & connectors in cases like: every object has an arrow — then none of them mean anything.
- Avoid when 2 — 3-D, dual axes, rainbow scales
- Avoid when 3 — Undated numbers, undated time series
- Avoid when 4 — Four charts on one slide
Audiences
- Work — PowerPoint
- Ads — Meta, Google and retail print
- School — lab reports and poster boards
Arrows & connectors: honour a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause, and switch when every object has an arrow — then none of them mean anything.