Charts & Visual Data
Panel Chart (Small Multiples) Formula: Vertical Lane Offset & Base-100 Index
Separate tangled spaghetti line charts into clean Small-Multiples lanes by adding a fixed vertical Panel Span offset (k * Span + Value) or indexing every series to 100 at period t = 0.
Untangle 6 overlapping regional lines into non-colliding trellis lanes!
Plotting five or more volatile time series on one shared Y-axis creates an unreadable "spaghetti chart." Edward Tufte’s Small Multiples (Panel Chart) solves this by giving each region k in {0, 1, 2, ...} its own dedicated vertical swimlane of height Panel_Span (chosen strictly larger than MAX_all_series): Y_plotted(k, t) = k * Panel_Span + Y_raw(k, t), with horizontal divider lines drawn at k * Panel_Span!
When series also differ in scale (e.g., Flagship $5M vs Startup $80k), first normalize each series to Base-100 at launch period t_0: Index_t = 100 * Y_t / Y_0 before applying the lane offset.
| Series / Lane Parameter | Input Value | Plotted Swimlane Result |
|---|---|---|
| Current Period Metric (B2) | 68 | Fits cleanly inside [0, 120] lane height |
| Zero-Based Lane Index k (B3) | 2 (3rd lane up) | Base floor at 2 * 120 = 240 |
| Lane Height Span (B4) & t0 Base (B5) | Span = 120, Base = 50 | Plotted Y = 308 | Base-100 Index = 136.00 |
Vertical Swimlane Plotted Y-Coordinate (k * Span + Value)
Shifts series k (B3) upward by B3 * B4 while guarding against lane spillover when B2 > B4.
=IF(OR(B3 < 0, B4 <= 0, B2 < 0, B2 > B4), "Value Exceeds Panel Span — Increase B4", ROUND(B3 * B4 + B2, 2))Base-100 Normalized Trajectory Index Relative to Launch Period B5
Rebases raw metric B2 against starting baseline B5 = 100.00.
=IF(B5 <= 0, 0, ROUND(100 * B2 / B5, 2))Try the example
Use the original values or change them to test your understanding.