5 Key Questions To Decide The Right Chart For Your Visualization
Introduction:
Whenever we are solving any business problem or understanding the patterns in the data at hand, the first block of hindrance many new analysts face is the lack of understanding of the right chart type. With all the knowledge and hands-on projects added in our portfolio, we still sometimes struggle in choosing the best suitable chart for the data we are analyzing.
In this article I’m going to walk you through 5 key questions which will narrow down our chart preferences depending on the type of problem we are solving.
1. Do you wanted to compare values?
Charts are best suitable for comparing one or many value columns in the datasets.
Examples:
- While measuring sales across different months,
- Comparing the performance of a product in each segment,
- Height Vs Weight plots etc..
To create a comparison chart, we can use the following types of graphs:
Column, Mekko, Bar, Pie, Line, Scatter Plot, Bullet
2. Do you want to show the composition of something?
Use this type of chart to show how individual parts make up the whole of something.
Examples:
- Total sales broken down by region
- Orders received by month
To show composition, use these charts:
Pie, Stacked Bar, Mekko, Stacked Column, Area, Waterfall
3. Do you want to understand the distribution of your data?
Distribution charts help you to understand outliers, the normal tendency, and the range of information in your values. Distribution charts are used to understand one column in particular and this is a crucial step of univariate analysis.
Examples:
- Histogram showing the distribution of the variable
- How salaries are distributed?
Use these charts to show distribution:
Scatter Plot, Mekko, Line, Column, Bar
4. Are you interested in analyzing trends in your data set?
If you want to know more information about how a data set performed during a specific time period, there are specific chart types that do extremely well.
Examples:
- Website visitors across the year
- Financial information like revenue, inventory etc..
- Stock price of a company
You should choose a:
Line, Dual-Axis Line, Column
5. Do you want to better understand the relationship between value sets?
Relationship charts are suited to showing how one variable relates to one or numerous different variables. You could use this to show how something positively effects, has no effect, or negatively effects another variable.
Examples:
- Population density vs Income potential graph
- Area vs house price graphs
When trying to establish the relationship between things, use these charts:
Scatter Plot, Bubble, Line
So, this questionnaire helps in almost all the cases in real world and this can help the user to pick the right chart for their analysis.
Infographic shown below reinforces your understanding with some beautifully addressed examples.
References :
Thank You
