Gray scale diagrams as business charts

Gray-scale diagrams, which can present large amounts of quantitative information in a compact format, are considered as a candidate for business charts. Hundreds of data points can easily be represented in one diagram, using small gray-scale squares (or tiles), without visually overloading a viewer. An experiment was done to compare the subjects´ responses to questions from three types of charts, traditional column and line charts and gray-scale tile charts. The results showed that questions were answered more correctly and more quickly using gray-scale tile charts than using traditional charts. However, subjects reported they experienced more strain using gray-scale charts