How to Add Context to Your Charts - Annotations & Custom Chart Legends

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Prerequisites: How to build a basic chart in a Storyboard - read this article first

What you'll learn

By the end of this article, you'll know how to:

• Write descriptive tile titles that communicate the key message.
• Add reference lines to mark targets, benchmarks, or thresholds.
• Add annotations to call out specific data points.
• Customise chart legends to reduce clutter and improve readability.
• Use text tiles and Dynamic Text to add narrative context that updates automatically.
• Add AI-generated insight text below a chart.

Overview

A chart shows data. Context tells the viewer what to do with it. Without context, viewers have to work out for themselves whether a number is good or bad, what the target is, why a trend matters, and what action to take. The features covered in this article help you close that gap so your Storyboard tells a story, not just displays data.

One Model gives you several ways to add context, from the simplest (a descriptive tile title) to the most dynamic (AI-generated insight text that updates when the data refreshes). You can use any combination depending on what your audience needs.

Tile titles

The tile title is the first thing viewers read and the simplest form of context. A good title does more than name the metric - it tells the viewer what they are looking at and why it matters.

Compare these two titles:

To edit a tile title, enter Modify Mode and click on the title text directly. You can also use Dynamic Text syntax in tile titles to pull metric and dimension names automatically - see the Dynamic Text section below.

Reference lines

A reference line is a horizontal or vertical line drawn across the chart at a fixed value. Use it to mark a target (12% turnover ceiling), an industry benchmark (median time-to-fill), or an internal threshold (headcount budget). When viewers see actual performance relative to a fixed line, the chart tells a story without any additional explanation.

To add a reference line:

1. Enter Modify Mode and open the tile settings.
2. Navigate to the Discover tab.
3. Under Reference Lines, click Add Reference Line.
4. Set the value (for example, 12 for a 12% target).
5. Optionally customise the line style, colour, and label.
6. Click Update to Storyboard.

Tip: Give your reference line a label that explains what it represents ("Target: 12%") rather than just showing the number. This saves viewers from having to remember what the line means.

Annotations

An annotation is a text note attached to a specific data point on a chart. Use it to call out something noteworthy - a spike caused by a restructure, a dip that coincided with a hiring freeze, or a data quality issue the viewer should be aware of.

To add an annotation:

1. Enter Modify Mode and select the chart tile.
2. Click the Settings icon, then navigate to the Describe tab.
3. Click Add Annotation.
4. Click on the data point you want to annotate. An annotation bubble appears.
5. Enter your comment text.
6. Drag the annotation to reposition it if needed.
7. Click Update to Storyboard, then Save.

How annotations behave

• Annotations are tied to specific data intersections (metric + dimension + time period) and display to all viewers who have access to the chart.
• They persist when a viewer drills into a dimension hierarchy.
• If a filter hides the data point an annotation is attached to, the annotation also hides. It reappears when the filter is removed.
• In Modify Mode, all annotations display regardless of the current filter state so you can manage them even when the relevant data is not visible in view mode.

Note: Annotations are currently supported on Basic Charts. Support for other chart types may be added in future releases.

Custom legends

The default chart legend shows every metric and dimension combination, which can get cluttered - especially on charts with multiple metrics or stacked dimensions. Custom Legends let you simplify the legend by hiding metric names or grouping legend entries by metric.

To enable custom legends:

1. Enter Modify Mode and open Tile Settings for the chart.
2. Scroll to the Legend section.
3. Toggle Custom Legend to On.
4. Choose from the available options:

Custom Legends work on Basic Charts and Pie Charts across all series types, stacking modes, horizontal bars, multiple Y-axes, and custom colour palettes. They are compatible with the existing legend options (horizontal/vertical orientation, max height, reverse legend).

For Pie Charts, you can also use the Series Name data label option instead of a separate legend, which labels each slice directly on the chart.

Tip: When you turn on both Hide Metric Names and Group Legend, the result is the same as just hiding metric names - the group header is hidden too. Use one or the other, not both.

Text tiles and Dynamic Text

Text tiles add narrative context alongside your charts. Place a text tile above a group of charts to frame the story ("This section covers recruitment pipeline health for Engineering"), between charts to explain a transition, or below a chart to provide methodology notes.

Static text tiles are straightforward - enter Modify Mode, add a Free Text Tile, type your text, format it, and save. But keep in mind that static text goes stale when data refreshes.

Dynamic Text - Beta

Dynamic Text solves the staleness problem by letting you reference metric names, dimension names, and descriptions directly in your tile titles, subtitles, and text tiles using a simple syntax. When the data changes, the Dynamic Text updates automatically.

The syntax uses curly brackets with an index number that matches the order of chips in the Define panel:

The index number [1], [2], etc. corresponds to the order the chips appear in the Define panel. If Headcount is the first metric chip, use {metric[1]name}. If Separations is the second, use {metric[2]name}.

Dynamic Text works in titles and subtitles for Basic Charts, Tables, KPI Charts, Funnel Charts, GeoMaps, Pie Charts, and Sankey Charts. Free text tile support is available via the Widget ID syntax, which lets you pull data from other tiles on the same page.

Note: Dynamic Text is currently in beta. While the feature is in beta, dynamic text is only visible to users who have the feature flag enabled. 

For the full syntax reference and detailed examples, see: How to use Dynamic Text in Storyboard tiles.

AI-generated insight text

The Describe tab supports adding a text area below the chart that displays AI-generated commentary. This is the most dynamic form of context - the AI analyses the chart data and produces written insights that update when the data refreshes.

Toggle Insights on in the Describe tab, then choose an insight type:

AI insight features require One AI permissions to be enabled for your role. For a detailed guide on writing effective Custom Insight prompts, see: How to write effective prompts for AI insights in Storyboard tiles.

Quick reference - choosing the right type of context

Next steps

Now that you know how to add context to your charts, you might want to explore:

• How to write effective prompts for AI insights in Storyboard tiles - structuring prompts for consistent, audience-appropriate AI output.
• How to use Dynamic Text in Storyboard tiles - the full syntax reference and examples.
• How to customise Storyboard appearance using the Design panel - colours, fonts, and layout refinements.
• How to use Storyboard filters - letting viewers narrow the data dynamically across all tiles and context elements.