Treemap in 1991: 3-D helps

Ben Shneiderman, University of Maryland, 1991, for disk-space visualization area of nested rectangles for a hierarchy Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure. Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present.

Excel or Google Sheets or PowerPoint; export SVG/PDF. Do not rely on hue alone. Label directly and check greyscale. Treemap: honour area of nested rectangles for a hierarchy, and switch when you need precise comparison of similar sizes. The core mark of Treemap is area of nested rectangles for a hierarchy.

part-to-whole with many leaves and a hierarchy The eye compares length and position more accurately than area. PowerPoint, Excel or Google Sheets and Meta, Google and retail print share the same geometry. Decoration rarely persuades; it slows reading. Perspective distortion wrecks comparison. Keep it flat.