true-count stack

Draw one mark per item, all of them, with no abbreviation. The count stops being a claim and becomes something the eye can verify by scanning. It also shows shape for free: which marks are filled, where they cluster, and how much of the field is empty. Above roughly 200 items this stops working and becomes texture.

Draw one mark per item, all of them, with no abbreviation. The count stops being a claim and becomes something the eye can verify by scanning. It also shows shape for free: which marks are filled, where they cluster, and how much of the field is empty. Above roughly 200 items this stops working and becomes texture.

Example

Best when the count is under about 200 and the gap between planned and actual is the finding.