Aim for plots that quickly tell you what you need to get out of your data
🧩🚀 Figures should stand on their own (standalone)
For inspiration look at the figure below from the paper
I have used arrows to guide the user (the arrows represent a subset of patients who are at high risk)
Tell the entire story. Do not assume that the reader will be an expert and will know everything
e.g. Diuretics appear to be associated with lower mortality in a group of patients with cardiovascular disease (shown in the blue region in the lower right-hand corner of the heatmap)
Divergent colour palette
A figure caption that explains everything the user needs to know and the interpretation
Ideally the reader should not have to read the main text/report at all!