I am fond, maybe too fond, of the d3 sunburst. Its clean lines, obvious symmetry, and smooth tweens make me smile.
Sunbursts deserve more respect than we give. Do they look too much like their older, oft-disparaged cousin, the pie chart? Is creating them too complex? Is their underlying (hierarchical) data structure not well understood? I cannot change the world’s perspective, but I hope, through these tutorials, to change yours.
Sunburst Cookies just light up my day!
–Angie Vega, Life with Mikey
When paired with meaningful labels and simple colors, sunbursts convey clear, intuitive messages. They tell us about relative size and layers of context. When properly animated, changes flow like the clear waters of a mountain stream.
Over the next few posts, I hope to make you a true believer in the sunburst, and make it a part of your visualization repertoire.
Do good!
-David Richards