  Scatterplots commonly use color to encode categorical data. However, as
datasets increase in size and complexity, the efficacy of these channels may
vary. Designers lack insight into how robust different design choices are to
variations in category numbers. This paper presents a crowdsourced experiment
measuring how the number of categories and choice of color encodings used in
multiclass scatterplots influences the viewers' abilities to analyze data
across classes. Participants estimated relative means in a series of
scatterplots with 2 to 10 categories encoded using ten color palettes drawn
from popular design tools. Our results show that the number of categories and
color discriminability within a color palette notably impact people's
perception of categorical data in scatterplots and that the judgments become
harder as the number of categories grows. We examine existing palette design
heuristics in light of our results to help designers make robust color choices
informed by the parameters of their data.
