You have data. You need a chart. But which one? Choosing the wrong chart type can mislead your audience or hide the insights you're trying to show. Here's when to use each major chart type.
Use when: You want to compare values across categories.
Keep in mind: Sort bars by value for easier comparison. Limit to 10-15 categories. Use horizontal bars when category labels are long.
Use when: You want to show how a value changes over time.
Keep in mind: Lines imply continuity. Don't use line charts for categorical data. Multiple lines work for comparing trends, but limit to 4-5 lines to stay readable.
Use when: You want to see if two continuous variables are related.
Keep in mind: Each dot is one data point. Patterns (clusters, trends, outliers) tell the story. Add a trend line to make the relationship clearer.
Use when: You want to show values in a table where color intensity represents the value.
Keep in mind: Use a clear color scale. Add value labels for precision. Heatmaps work best with 5-20 cells in each dimension.
Use when: You want to show the distribution of a variable, especially across groups.
Keep in mind: The box shows the middle 50% of data. The line inside is the median. Dots outside the whiskers are outliers. Box plots are great for comparing distributions side by side.
Use when: You want to show how a whole is divided into parts, with nested categories.
Keep in mind: Size represents proportion. Color can add a second dimension (like growth rate). Works best with 10-50 items.
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