Each of the provided examples leverage the fact that we make very quick, snap judgements to form our first (and often only) impression. Adding superfluous detail to the chart causes the casual observer to focus on information that isn't actually relevant to the underlying data.
One thing I found really confusing, though, was that they changed the colors in some of the examples. I had to check the legend of the second example, because I'd thought the order had changed. And double check because the labels of the legends are listed in a different order than what is displayed on the chart itself.
While it is supposed to be an example of confusing charts, I think the author might have conveyed their message more clearly by focusing on one "trick" at a time.
One thing I found really confusing, though, was that they changed the colors in some of the examples. I had to check the legend of the second example, because I'd thought the order had changed. And double check because the labels of the legends are listed in a different order than what is displayed on the chart itself.
While it is supposed to be an example of confusing charts, I think the author might have conveyed their message more clearly by focusing on one "trick" at a time.