Use of Color in Google Analytics Graphs

I like Google Analytics. It’s a solid, useful application that when used properly can provide a wealth of useful, actionable information. But the way Google uses green in comparison graphs bothers me.

Here’s how Google displays a traffic comparison. The blue line represents the current time period, while the green line represents the prior period.

Green represents both a time period and a traffic increase

This may seem incredibly picayune, but I frequently find myself looking twice or three times at the graph, trying to determine whether green represents the current time series or the time series it is being compared against. Why? Because green is used to delineate the prior time series, and it is also used to indicate an increase in traffic.

In this instance I see the 11.3% and get confused, because although there is an increase of 11.3%, the number is shown in green, which makes me look at the prior time series, rather than the current time series. Yes, I’m smart enough to eventually figure out that the traffic represented by the blue line is the traffic that has gone up by 11.3%, but it is confusing.

If I could, I’d change the green to a different color, something like this:

Gold rather than green for the prior time series

Presto, no more confusion. Green now unequivocally represents an increase in traffic. Red represents a decrease in traffic. Blue represents the current time series, and gold represents the prior time series.

‘Doc’ Batty’s User Experience List

The Information Architecture Institute has a vibrant listserv, filled with insightful comments and thought-provoking questions from skilled practitioners. Often the questions have to do with how to get a grip on what a client really needs. Steve ‘Doc’ Batty has just posted his response to that question as it relates to a User Experience project.

Batty’s list of User Experience questions is excellent because it helps clearly define the “why” of the project. This makes defining the “how” much easier.