June 7, 2021
A common mistake I see people making is not including legends in their spreadsheets or diagrams. Sure, most people assume a red background means danger and a green background means something good. But what exactly does a teal highlight mean? What’s the difference between a box with square corners and one with rounded corners?
When you are making a Miro diagram or a Lucid Chart, go into the corner of the picture and give an example of each shape, color, line style, etc and then label each one. Be consistent throughout your diagram.
When you are creating a spreadsheet, the first tab should be a kind of README, explaining the pedigree of the data, the methodology used to collect or process the data, and the meaning of any background colors. Then put your data on the 2nd and later tabs.
Have empathy for the consumers of your work artifacts. Make it easy for them to sing your praises. A great legend makes you look professional.