Power Icons: Adding Helpers and Context in Tableau

You know when you jump into a queue to purchase tickets for your favorite band and there's more than one option? There's VIP, GA, or even M&G. You usually get eight to twenty minutes to pick your seats and checkout; no time to research what each option includes. Lucky for you, there's usually the info circle next to each type. Click on it, and now you know VIP doesn't include backstage access, so general admission it is!

Why not use icons for your Tableau dashboards to do the same? They are easy to create, don't slow down workbook performance, and guide the end user.

All you need is the shape and a dimension with the text.

Here's how I would create an info circle:

Step 1

From the Marks card drop-down, choose a shape. I like the circle for info icons.

Step 2

Create an in-line calc (double-click in the Marks card) and for the logical just type 'i'. Tableau will generally drop this on your Detail mark, so drag and drop it on the Label mark. Should have something like this:

Step 3

Click on Label and center alignment. Click on the Text ellipsis (...) and adjust font color and sizing as needed. Now you can click the Tooltip mark and type in your explainer text/image as needed.

Step 4

Float and add the sheet to your dashboards as needed.

For some additional icon ideas, check out my twbx on Tableau Public Context with Icons | Tableau Public

And as always, reach out with questions or let me know if you have other ideas to add context.