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Heatmaps in Brilliant Assessments
The most brilliant charts make convoluted data easy to digest. For large and detailed amounts of data, heatmaps can help readers quickly interpret and identify trends without skimping on granularity. Heatmaps are effectively a table and chart combined, with two key dimensions on each axis. One axis may list respondents or cohorts, while the other pulls from sections, subsections, segmentations, or any other scored element of the assessment. Instead of only displaying scores, ratings are denoted through conditional colors.
Heatmaps are great when you have a large amount of data and want to save space in your cohort feedback report. Heatmaps shouldn’t be used to simplify data but rather to succinctly display trends and deliver birdseye insights. A popular alternative to a heatmap would be a multi-bar chart. However, if you have multiple items on each axis, that’s a lot of charting where a heatmap could achieve a better result on one page.
Heatmaps in action
A Leadership Assessment
One of the great use cases we’ve seen of Heatmaps is when they are used in a cohort report for this leadership assessment. As we discussed in an earlier article, a bar chart is hard to beat, but in this particular scenario, the heatmap wins hands down.
Unpacking the Data
In this example, on the y-axis are respondents. On the x-axis, each subsection is displayed. The scores for each person’s subsection are what is displayed in the labels (which are optional to include), and ratings are signified by the colors used. Looking at the way this data is displayed, it is easy to identify the following trends:
Top performers
In this example, we can see that Diane and Henry have both achieved outstanding results. We always knew Diane was good, but Henry has surpassed himself! Derek, while lacking in people development skills, also scores well and, with training, may join the ranks of his top-performing peers.
Development opportunities
It’s not hard to determine which respondent you don’t want to be on this heatmap, either. We can also easily decipher who in the team needs development most urgently, or perhaps, in the case of Linda, intervention to better understand the scoring.
Team-level strengths and weaknesses
Now, looking vertically at each area of the x-axis, it is apparent at a team level which elements of leadership the team is best at and what needs the most development en masse. It is indicated quickly in the results that across the team, most are strong in leadership style and strategic focus but fall short in decision-making. This can help inform strategies for team-wide development investments, which may be more appropriate than micro-level development at an individual level.
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with heatmaps
Heatmaps are a strong utility cohort chart for leadership, team, and organizational assessments. An intersection between a chart and a table, heatmaps deliver a visually compelling and easy-to-read way of understanding large sets of data. They are also great for use cases involving cohorts or placed side-by-side to illustrate changes between assessment iterations.
Heatmaps are only one of many charting options in Brilliant Assessments. To explore all charts, visit the page here or to try an assessment for yourself, fill out a test assessment now.