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Venn diagram

Where two or three sets overlap, every region named, one sweet spot.

1 venn diagram example

Product sweet spot

Desirable, feasible and viable, and what lives in each overlap.

Three circles, every region labelled, one accent. The overlaps that are missing a set get honest names, a nice demo or an internal tool, and the centre where all three meet is the only region worth building.

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What is a Venn diagram?

A Venn diagram uses overlapping circles to show how two or three sets relate: what is unique to each and what they share. It is named after John Venn, who introduced it in 1880.

Read each circle as a set and each overlap as the items that belong to both. The center, where all circles meet, is often the point of the diagram: the sweet spot where, for example, what users want, what the business needs and what is feasible coincide.

When to use a Venn diagram

  • Use it to explain a positioning or product idea as the intersection of a few qualities.
  • Use it to compare the features or audiences of two or three options and show what they have in common.
  • With four or more sets the regions become unreadable, so use a table or an UpSet plot instead.

How to make a good Venn diagram

  1. Stick to two or three circles.
  2. Name every region, including the overlaps, so readers do not have to guess what each one means.
  3. Only size circles by quantity if the areas are actually proportional; otherwise keep them equal.
  4. Emphasize the single region that matters and keep the rest neutral.