When using the Above and Below ramp, the goal is to highlight everything above and everything below the meaningful number (goal, average, etc.) and deemphasize the middle values. To do this, the high and low values would be solid and the middle values would fade into the basemap with an added transparency (default could be 70%). Here is a mockup:
This map uses the red to blue above and below ramp currently found in Smart Mapping:
And this map adds transparency to the middle values so that the eye focuses on the red and blue. The yellow that was once in the middle is faded to the khaki color of the basemap. The mind now only has to understand two colors (blue = high and red = low) as opposed to three colors (blue high, red low, yellow middle):
Current Transparency editor:
When using the Above and Below ramp, the goal is to highlight everything above and everything below the meaningful number (goal, average, etc.) and deemphasize the middle values. To do this, the high and low values would be solid and the middle values would fade into the basemap with an added transparency (default could be 70%). Here is a mockup:
This map uses the red to blue above and below ramp currently found in Smart Mapping:
And this map adds transparency to the middle values so that the eye focuses on the red and blue. The yellow that was once in the middle is faded to the khaki color of the basemap. The mind now only has to understand two colors (blue = high and red = low) as opposed to three colors (blue high, red low, yellow middle):