Vega-Lite Bullet Chart
A bullet chart — Stephen Few's ultra-compact replacement for a dial gauge that crams a target, qualitative bands (poor / acceptable / good), and the actual measure into a single small horizontal bar. Vega-Lite layers three rect marks for the bands, one rect for the actual value,
Template details
- chart
- bullet
- kpi
- compact
- vega
- vega-lite
When to use this template
This visualization makes it immediately obvious how a key performance indicator (KPI) is performing relative to a specific target and predefined qualitative benchmarks. Analysts reach for it when they need a highly compact, information-dense display to monitor the status of multiple metrics simultaneously, allowing for quick identification of areas requiring attention or celebrating success.
- Single quantitative measure per item.
- Requires a clear numerical target value.
- Includes defined qualitative performance bands (e.g., poor, acceptable, good).
- Compares multiple distinct items or KPIs.
- When compact, at-a-glance status is prioritized.
- For snapshot views or tracking progress over discrete periods.