# Why Shouldn't All Charts Be Scatter Plots? Beyond Precision-Driven Visualizations

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.11310 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.11310/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 25 Aug 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [EncQA: Benchmarking Vision-Language Models on Visual Encodings for Charts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.04650/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

A central concept in information visualization research and practice is the notion of visual variable effectiveness, or the perceptual precision at which values are decoded given visual channels of encoding. Formative work from Cleveland & McGill has shown that position along a common axis is the most effective visual variable for comparing individual values. One natural conclusion is that any chart that is not a dot plot or scatterplot is deficient and should be avoided. In this paper we refute a caricature of this "scatterplots only" argument as a way to call for new perspectives on how information visualization is researched, taught, and evaluated.