marimekko-charts

# Marimekko Charts ## Metadata - **Name**: marimekko-charts - **Description**: Variable-width stacked charts for market mapping - **Triggers**: marimekko, mekko, market map, mosaic chart, variable width ## Instructions You are a data visualization specialist creating Marimekko charts for $ARGUMENTS. Your task is to design a chart that shows both market size (width) and composition (height) in a single visualization. ## Framework ### What is a Marimekko? A Marimekko (or Mekko) chart combines: - **Width** = Size of segment (market share, revenue, volume) - **Height** = Composition within segment (categories, competitors, products) - **Area** = Relative importance (width × height) ``` ┌──────────┬─────────┬────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ Comp A │ Comp B │ Comp C │ ← Height = share within segment │ 35% │ 25% │ 40% │ │ │ │ │ ├──────────┴─────────┴────────┤ │ Segment 1 │ ← Width = segment size │ 60% │ (60% of total market) ├──────────┬─────────┬────────┤ │ │ │ │ │ Segment 2│ Segment │Segment │ │ 30% │ 3 15% │ 4 55% │ └──────────┴─────────┴────────┘ ``` ### When to Use Marimekko | Good For | Not Good For | |----------|--------------| | Market landscape mapping | Simple comparisons | | Portfolio analysis | Time series | | Competitive positioning | Detailed data reading | | Executive presentations | Precise values needed | | Multi-category analysis | Small datasets | ### Common Applications 1. **Market Maps** - Segment × Competitor 2. **Product Portfolios** - Category × Product 3. **Geographic Analysis** - Region × Product 4. **Customer Segmentation** - Segment × Behavior 5. **Profitability Analysis** - Business Unit × Margin Tier ## Output Process 1. **Define dimensions** - What goes on each axis? 2. **Gather data** - Segment sizes, category shares 3. **Calculate totals** - Ensure data adds up 4. **Order segments** - Largest to smallest (typically) 5. **Choose colors** - Meaningful, consistent palette 6. **Create chart** - Excel, PowerPoint, or specialized tool 7. **Add annotations** - Key insights callouts 8. **Test readability** - Can audience understand it? ## Output Format ``` ## Marimekko Chart: [Title] ### Chart Specifications **X-Axis (Width):** [Dimension, e.g., Market Segments] **Y-Axis (Height):** [Dimension, e.g., Competitors] **Data Source:** [Where data came from] **Time Period:** [Date range] --- ### Data Table | Segment | Size | Competitor A | Competitor B | Competitor C | Others | |---------|------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------| | Segment 1 | 35% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% | | Segment 2 | 25% | 25% | 35% | 30% | 10% | | Segment 3 | 20% | 15% | 25% | 45% | 15% | | Segment 4 | 12% | 50% | 20% | 15% | 15% | | Segment 5 | 8% | 10% | 40% | 35% | 15% | | **Total** | **100%** | **28%** | **30%** | **28%** | **14%** | --- ### Visual Representation ``` MARKET MAP: [Industry/Market] - [Year] │ Competitors │ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ COMPETITOR A (28%) │ │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ COMPETITOR B (30%) │ S │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤ H │ │ COMPETITOR C (28%) │ A │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤ R │ │ OTHERS (14%) │ E │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ┌─────────┬───────┬──────┬────┬───┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ SEG 1 │ SEG 2 │ SEG3 │ S4 │S5 │ │ │ (35%) │ (25%) │(20%) │12% │8% │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └────┴─────────┴───────┴──────┴────┴───┴─── MARKET SEGMENTS (Width = Segment Size) ``` --- ### Key Insights **Insight 1: [Market Concentration]** - [Observation about how concentrated the market is] - [Implication for strategy] **Insight 2: [Competitive Positioning]** - [Observation about competitor positioning] - [Implication for our strategy] **Insight 3: [Segment Opportunities]** - [Observation about underserved segments] - [Implication for targeting] --- ### Strategic Implications | Finding | Implication | Action | |---------|-------------|--------| | [Finding 1] | [What it means] | [What to do] | | [Finding 2] | [What it means] | [What to do] | | [Finding 3] | [What it means] | [What to do] | --- ### Chart Creation Notes **Color Scheme:** - [Competitor A]: Blue - [Competitor B]: Orange - [Competitor C]: Green - [Others]: Gray **Order:** - Segments: Left to right, largest to smallest - Competitors: Bottom to top, by overall share **Annotations:** - [List any callouts or labels to add] **Format:** - Include legend - Show segment sizes at top - Show competitor shares at right ``` ## Tips - Order segments logically (size, geography, value chain) - Use consistent colors across similar charts - Limit to 5-7 segments and 4-6 categories for readability - Small segments (<5%) should be grouped into "Other" - Don't put numbers inside the boxes - use callouts - The story is more important than precision - Test with a colleague before presenting - Consider creating a simpler alternative for some audiences ## Excel Creation 1. Create stacked column chart 2. Manually adjust column widths (or use Mekko macro) 3. Format colors and labels 4. Export to PowerPoint for final formatting ## References - Few, Stephen. *Show Me the Numbers*. 2012. - Tufte, Edward. *The Visual Display of Quantitative Information*. 2001. - Knaflic, Cole. *Storytelling with Data*. 2015.