Donut widget

A Donut widget divides one metric into groups and shows the share of each group, for the dashboard’s date range. For example, it shows each automation’s share of all sent email.

You select a Group by, which is a dimension. Each value of the Group by is a group. Each group is a slice of the ring. The centre shows the Total.

The Donut widget is in the Breakdown category, with the List widget. A heading above the ring tells what the donut shows, for example “Sent by Automation name”.

When to use a donut

Use a donut when the groups make one whole and the share of each group is important. For example, use it to see which channels bring in the most revenue.

A donut is best with a small number of groups. For other questions, use a different widget:

• Many groups, or groups of almost the same size: use a Graph with bars. Select a Group by, and set X-axis mode to Grouped by dimension. Each group gets a bar. It is easier to compare bars than slices.
• A ranking, or a filter for the dashboard: use a List widget.
• Changes over time: use a Graph. Select a Group by, and set X-axis mode to Time series.

Why a donut, not a pie

People read the shares in a donut as accurately as in a pie. A 2016 study by Skau and Kosara shows this. The ring must not be very thin.

A donut has one thing that a pie does not have: a hole in the centre. The hole shows the Total. For this reason, SEINō uses a donut.

Which metrics a donut can show

A donut can show a metric only when the values of the groups add up to the Total. Counts and sums add up, for example Sent or Revenue.

Rates, averages and unique counts do not add up, for example Open rate or CTOR. The Metric list does not show these metrics.

Example

Automation A has an open rate of 50%. Automation B has an open rate of 20%. Together, their open rate is not 70%.

How the slices read

The size of a slice shows the share of its group in the Total.

The slices go from large to small, from the top of the ring. The colours follow the same order.

A donut shows a maximum of 6 slices. When there are more than 6 groups, the 5 largest groups each get a slice. The other groups go into Other, which is always the last slice and always grey.

The centre, labels and legend

The centre shows the Total: the sum of the metric for all groups, for example “65.9M”. Below the value is the word “Total”.

Each slice has a label next to it. The label shows the value, the share, or both.

The legend shows one row for each slice, in the same order as the ring. The legend is next to the ring or below it, as the size of the widget permits.

Click a row to select its slice. The slice becomes larger. Click the row again to clear the selection.

Point to a slice to see its tooltip. The tooltip shows the full value and the share. For Other, the tooltip also shows the groups in it.

Compare with an earlier period

When the dashboard has a comparison period, the centre also shows the change of the Total. The change is green when the metric moves in the good direction, and red when it moves in the bad direction.

The tooltip then also shows:

• Last period: the value of the group in the comparison period. When the group was not in the comparison period, the tooltip shows “Unknown”.
• Change: the difference between the two values.
• Change in share: the difference between the two shares, in percentage points.

Set up the widget

To add a donut, open the widget gallery. In the Breakdown category, select Donut.

The settings are:

• Dataset: the data for the donut.
• Metric: the metric that the donut shows. The list shows only metrics that add up.
• Group by: the dimension for the slices. Each value is one group.
• Filter: optional. The filter applies to the donut, together with the dashboard’s global filters.
• Color scheme: the colours of the slices.
• Slice labels: Percentage, Value or Both. A new donut shows Percentage.

You open, name and save a donut in the same way as all widgets. See Dashboards.