Matplotlib Heatmap Color Scale - Time Series Mechanics

Read the Color Key First

Start with two rows: Morning and Afternoon. The columns are Mon, Tue, and Wed. Before comparing shades, read the key: lighter cells mean lower values, and darker cells mean higher values. Now the colors have meaning. Morning-Mon is 1 and light. Afternoon-Wed is 6 and dark. The darker cell is higher because the key says dark means higher.

A tiny chart-reading step: read the heatmap color scale before interpreting darker or lighter cells.

highlighted = computed this step

Start with pinned heatmap values

Start with 6 pinned values in a 2 by 3 heatmap.

\text{pinned heatmap values}

Read the color key

Read the color key: lighter means lower and darker means higher.

\text{color key first}

Use the key on the heatmap

Use the key before saying a darker cell has a higher value.

\text{color through key}

Interpret color through the key

Afternoon-Wed is darkest because the key maps dark to value 6.

\text{dark means high after key}