Each Region Has a Distinct Capability Profile , South Asia Leads on Access and Capacity, MENA on Funding and Coordination Figure 57.1 , Each Region Has a Distinct Capability Profile

A radar chart (also spider, web, polar, or star chart) maps multiple quantitative variables onto equally-spaced radial axes, all sharing a single origin and scale. A data series is drawn as a polygon connecting its value on each axis. The perceptual mechanism is polygon shape comparison : the viewer compares overall outlines holistically, noticing which polygon is larger (higher average performance), where one extends further than another on a specific axis (strength in that dimension), and whether shapes are pointy (uneven profile) or rounded (balanced across dimensions).

The data contains three series across six dimensions where the overall performance profile , not any single variable , is the message. South Asia has the most area in the upper-right quadrant (access, capacity); MENA is skewed toward the upper-left (funding, coordination). These profile shapes are immediately visible in the polygon outlines and would require six separate charts to convey with bar charts.

The area of a radar polygon changes depending on the order of axes , placing two high-scoring variables adjacent produces a larger polygon area than placing them opposite each other, even with identical values. There is no canonical correct axis order . This implementation places axes starting at 12 o'clock and proceeds clockwise, but any rotation produces a legitimately different-looking polygon from the same data. Viewers who focus on area as the primary signal are vulnerable to this distortion.

Comparing values across different axes , "is MENA's funding (80) better than South Asia's access (75)?" , requires the viewer to mentally locate two points on two non-parallel scales and compare their radial distances from center. This is significantly harder than comparing two bars on a common baseline. The Catalogue states this clearly: "comparing values all on a single straight axis is much easier." Radar charts are for within-series profile reading and between-series shape comparison , not for precise cross-axis value comparisons.

Paste this into Claude Code to generate a working version of this chart, plus its data file. The result will not be a perfect replica , the goal is that the reader can run the prompt, get a chart of this type, and read its source. Generate a complete, self-contained radar chart in D3 v7. Two files:

The ideas in this chapter didn't appear from nowhere. Kaoru Ishikawa built statistical quality control into the foundation of postwar Japanese manufacturing , and his quality-improvement toolkit included radar/spider charts as a standard way to display multi-attribute supplier or process scorecards. The "fishbone diagram" he is most famous for is just one of his methods. Kaoru Ishikawa, circa 1970. AI-generated portrait based on a public domain photograph (Wikimedia Commons).

The ideas in this chapter didn't appear from nowhere. Kaoru Ishikawa built statistical quality control into the foundation of postwar Japanese manufacturing , and his quality-improvement toolkit included radar/spider charts as a standard way to display multi-attribute supplier or process scorecards. The "fishbone diagram" he is most famous for is just one of his methods. Kaoru Ishikawa, circa 1970. AI-generated portrait based on a public domain photograph (Wikimedia Commons).