Tuesday, November 26, 2024
HomeMarketing17 Greatest Varieties of Charts and Graphs for Knowledge Visualization

17 Greatest Varieties of Charts and Graphs for Knowledge Visualization [+ Guide]


As a author for the advertising weblog, I often use varied forms of charts and graphs to assist readers visualize the info I gather and higher perceive their significance. And belief me, there’s a whole lot of knowledge to current.

Person on laptop researching the types of graphs for data visualization

The truth is, the quantity of knowledge in 2025 can be virtually double the info we create, seize, copy, and devour right this moment.

Download Now: Free Excel Graph Generators

This makes knowledge visualization important for companies. Various kinds of graphs and charts may help you:

  • Inspire your crew to take motion.
  • Impress stakeholders with purpose progress.
  • Present your viewers what you worth as a enterprise.

Knowledge visualization builds belief and might manage numerous groups round new initiatives. So, I’ll discuss concerning the forms of graphs and charts that you should utilize to develop your corporation.

And, when you nonetheless want a bit of extra steering by the top of this publish, take a look at our knowledge visualization information for extra info on easy methods to design visually beautiful and interesting charts and graphs.  

Table of Contents

Charts vs Graphs: What is the Distinction?

Lots of people suppose charts and graphs are synonymous (I do know I did), however they’re truly two various things.

Charts visually symbolize present knowledge within the type of tables and diagrams, however graphs are extra numerical in knowledge and present how one variable impacts one other.

For instance, in one in all my favourite sitcoms, How I Met Your Mom, Marshall creates a bunch of charts and graphs representing his life. One in all these charts is a Venn diagram referencing the music “Cecilia” by Simon and Garfunkle. 

Marshall says, “This circle represents people who find themselves breaking my coronary heart, and this circle represents people who find themselves shaking my confidence every day. The place they overlap? Cecilia.”

The diagram is a chart and never a graph as a result of it does not monitor how these folks make him really feel over time or how these variables are influenced by one another.

It could present the place the 2 forms of folks intersect however not how they affect each other.

marshallPicture supply

Later, Marshall makes a line graph exhibiting how his pals’ emotions about his charts have modified within the time since presenting his “Cecilia diagram.

Word: He calls the road graph a chart on the present, nevertheless it’s acceptable as a result of the character of line graphs and charts makes the phrases interchangeable. I am going to clarify later, I promise.

The road graph reveals how the time since exhibiting his Cecilia chart has influenced his pals’ tolerance for his varied graphs and charts. 

Marshall graph

Picture supply

I can not even start to inform you all how pleased I’m to reference my favourite HIMYM joke on this publish.

Now, let’s dive into the varied forms of graphs and charts. 

Completely different Varieties of Graphs for Knowledge Visualization

1. Bar Graph

I strongly recommend utilizing a bar graph to keep away from muddle when one knowledge label is lengthy or when you’ve got greater than 10 gadgets to match. Additionally, enjoyable truth: If the instance beneath was vertical it could be a column graph.

Customer bar graph example

Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Graphs

Bar graphs may help monitor modifications over time. I’ve discovered that bar graphs are most helpful when there are massive modifications or to point out how one group compares towards different teams.

The instance above compares the variety of prospects by enterprise position. It makes it straightforward to see that there’s greater than twice the variety of prospects per position for particular person contributors than some other group.

A bar graph additionally makes it straightforward to see which group of knowledge is highest or most typical.

For instance, in the beginning of the pandemic, on-line companies noticed an enormous leap in site visitors. So, if you wish to take a look at month-to-month site visitors for an internet enterprise, a bar graph would make it straightforward to see that leap.

Different use instances for bar graphs embody:

  • Product comparisons.
  • Product utilization.
  • Class comparisons.
  • Advertising and marketing site visitors by month or 12 months.
  • Advertising and marketing conversions.

Design Greatest Practices for Bar Graphs

Use constant colours all through the chart, choosing accent colours to focus on significant knowledge factors or modifications over time.

You also needs to use horizontal labels to enhance its readability, and begin the y-axis at 0 to appropriately mirror the values in your graph.

2. Line Graph

A line graph reveals tendencies or progress over time, and you should utilize it to point out many various classes of knowledge. You need to use it once you monitor a steady knowledge set.

This makes the phrases line graphs and line charts interchangeable as a result of the very nature of each is to trace how variables impression one another, notably how one thing modifications over time. Yeah, it confused me, too.

Types of graphs — example of a line graph.

Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Graphs

Line graphs assist customers monitor modifications over quick and lengthy intervals. Due to this, I discover most of these graphs are finest for seeing small modifications.

Line graphs assist me evaluate modifications for multiple group over the identical interval. They’re additionally useful for measuring how completely different teams relate to one another.

A enterprise would possibly use this graph to match gross sales charges for various services or products over time.

These charts are additionally useful for measuring service channel efficiency. For instance, a line graph that tracks what number of chats or emails your crew responds to per 30 days.

Design Greatest Practices for Line Graphs

  • Use strong traces solely.
  • Do not plot greater than 4 traces to keep away from visible distractions.
  • Use the precise top so the traces take up roughly 2/3 of the y-axis’ top.

3. Bullet Graph

A bullet graph reveals progress in the direction of a purpose, compares this to a different measure, and offers context within the type of a ranking or efficiency.

Types of graph — example of a bullet graph.

Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Graphs

Within the instance above, the bullet graph reveals the variety of new prospects towards a set buyer purpose. Bullet graphs are nice for evaluating efficiency towards objectives like this.

A majority of these graphs may assist groups assess doable roadblocks as a result of you may analyze knowledge in a decent visible show.

For instance, I might create a collection of bullet graphs measuring efficiency towards benchmarks or use a single bullet graph to visualise these KPIs towards their objectives:

  • Income.
  • Revenue.
  • Buyer satisfaction.
  • Common order measurement.
  • New prospects.

Seeing this knowledge at a look and alongside one another may help groups make fast selections.

Bullet graphs are top-of-the-line methods to show year-over-year knowledge evaluation. YBullet graphs may visualize:

  • Buyer satisfaction scores.
  • Product utilization.
  • Buyer buying habits.
  • Social media utilization by platform.

Design Greatest Practices for Bullet Graphs

  • Use contrasting colours to focus on how the info is progressing.
  • Use one coloration in numerous shades to gauge progress.

4. Column + Line Graph

Column + line graphs are additionally known as dual-axis charts. They encompass a column and line graph collectively, with each graphics on the X axis however occupying their very own Y axis.

column and line graph

Obtain our FREE Excel Graph Templates for this graph and extra!

Greatest Use Circumstances

These graphs are finest for evaluating two knowledge units with completely different measurement models, similar to price and time. 

As a marketer, you might need to monitor two tendencies without delay.

Design Greatest Practices 

Use particular person colours for the traces and colours to make the graph extra visually interesting and to additional differentiate the info. 

The 4 Primary Varieties of Charts

Earlier than we get into charts, I need to contact on the 4 fundamental chart varieties that I exploit probably the most. 

1. Bar Chart

Bar charts are fairly self-explanatory. I exploit them to point values by the size of bars, which may be displayed horizontally or vertically. Vertical bar charts, just like the one beneath, are generally known as column charts. 

bar chart examples

Picture supply

2. Line Chart 

I exploit line charts to point out modifications in values throughout steady measurements, similar to throughout time, generations, or classes. For instance, the chart beneath reveals the modifications in ice cream gross sales all through the week.

line chart example

Picture supply

3. Scatter Plot

A scatter plot makes use of dotted factors to match values towards two completely different variables on separate axes. It is generally used to point out correlations between values and variables. 

scatter plot examples

4. Pie Chart

Pie charts are charts that symbolize knowledge in a round (pie-shaped) graphic, and every slice represents a share or portion of the entire. 

Discover the instance beneath of a family funds. (Which jogs my memory that I have to arrange my very own.)

Discover that the share of revenue going to every expense is represented by a slice. 

pie chart

 

Completely different Varieties of Charts for Knowledge Visualization

To higher perceive chart varieties and the way you should utilize them, this is an summary of every:

1. Column Chart

Use a column chart to point out a comparability amongst completely different gadgets or to point out a comparability of things over time. You might use this format to see the income per touchdown web page or prospects by shut date.

Types of charts — example of a column chart.

Greatest Use Circumstances for This Kind of Chart

I exploit each column charts to show modifications in knowledge, however I’ve observed column charts are finest for destructive knowledge. The principle distinction, in fact, is that column charts present info vertically whereas bar charts present knowledge horizontally.

For instance, warehouses typically monitor the variety of accidents on the store ground. When the variety of incidents falls beneath the month-to-month common, a column chart could make that change simpler to see in a presentation.

Within the instance above, this column chart measures the variety of prospects by shut date. Column charts make it straightforward to see knowledge modifications over a time period. Which means that they’ve many use instances, together with:

  • Buyer survey knowledge, like exhibiting what number of prospects choose a selected product or how a lot a buyer makes use of a product every day.
  • Gross sales quantity, like exhibiting which providers are the highest sellers every month or the variety of gross sales per week.
  • Revenue and loss, exhibiting the place enterprise investments are rising or falling.

Design Greatest Practices for Column Charts

  • Use constant colours all through the chart, choosing accent colours to focus on significant knowledge factors or modifications over time.
  • Use horizontal labels to enhance readability.
  • Begin the y-axis at 0 to appropriately mirror the values in your chart.

2. Space Chart

Okay, an space chart is principally a line chart, however I swear there is a significant distinction.

The area between the x-axis and the road is stuffed with a coloration or sample. It’s helpful for exhibiting part-to-whole relations, like exhibiting particular person gross sales reps’ contributions to whole gross sales for a 12 months.

It helps me analyze each general and particular person pattern info.

Types of charts — example of an area chart.

Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Charts

Space charts assist present modifications over time. They work finest for large variations between knowledge units and assist visualize massive tendencies.

For instance, the chart above reveals customers by creation date and life cycle stage.

A line chart might present extra subscribers than advertising certified leads. However this space chart emphasizes how a lot larger the variety of subscribers is than some other group.

These charts make the scale of a bunch and the way teams relate to one another extra visually essential than knowledge modifications over time.

Space charts may help your corporation to:

  • Visualize which product classes or merchandise inside a class are hottest.
  • Present key efficiency indicator (KPI) objectives vs. outcomes.
  • Spot and analyze business tendencies.

Design Greatest Practices for Space Charts

  • Use clear colours so info is not obscured within the background.
  • Do not show greater than 4 classes to keep away from muddle.
  • Arrange extremely variable knowledge on the prime of the chart to make it straightforward to learn.

3. Stacked Bar Chart

I recommend utilizing this chart to match many various gadgets and present the composition of every merchandise you’re evaluating.

Types of charts — example of a stacked bar chart.

Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Charts

These charts are useful when a bunch begins in a single column and strikes to a different over time.

For instance, the distinction between a advertising certified lead (MQL) and a gross sales certified lead (SQL) is typically arduous to see. The chart above helps stakeholders see these two lead varieties from a single standpoint — when a lead modifications from MQL to SQL.

Stacked bar charts are glorious for advertising. They make it easy so as to add a whole lot of knowledge on a single chart or to make a degree with restricted area.

These charts can present a number of takeaways, so that they’re additionally tremendous for quarterly conferences when you may have rather a lot to say however not a whole lot of time to say it.

Stacked bar charts are additionally a wise choice for planning or technique conferences. It is because these charts can present a whole lot of info without delay, however in addition they make it straightforward to deal with one stack at a time or transfer knowledge as wanted.

You may also use these charts to:

  • Present the frequency of survey responses.
  • Establish outliers in historic knowledge.
  • Examine part of a technique to its efficiency as a complete.

Design Greatest Practices for Stacked Bar Charts

  • Greatest used for instance part-to-whole relationships.
  • Use contrasting colours for better readability.
  • Make the chart scale massive sufficient to view group sizes in relation to 1 one other.

4. Mekko Chart

Also called a Marimekko chart, any such chart can evaluate values, measure each’s composition, and present knowledge distribution throughout each.

It is just like a stacked bar, besides the Mekko’s x-axis can seize one other dimension of your values — as an alternative of time development, like column charts typically do. Within the graphic beneath, the x-axis compares the cities to 1 one other.

Types of charts — example of a Mekko chart.

Picture Supply

Greatest Use Circumstances for This Kind of Chart

I usually use a Mekko chart to point out progress, market share, or competitor evaluation.

For instance, the Mekko chart above reveals the market share of asset managers grouped by location and the worth of their belongings. This chart clarifies which corporations handle probably the most belongings in numerous areas.

It is also straightforward to see which asset managers are the biggest and the way they relate to one another.

Mekko charts can appear extra advanced than different forms of charts, so it is best to make use of these in conditions the place you need to emphasize scale or variations between teams of knowledge.

Different use instances for Mekko charts embody:

  • Detailed revenue and loss statements.
  • Income by model and area.
  • Product profitability.
  • Share of voice by business or area of interest.

Design Greatest Practices for Mekko Charts

  • Range your bar heights if the portion measurement is a crucial level of comparability.
  • Do not embody too many composite values inside every bar. Think about reevaluating your presentation when you’ve got a whole lot of knowledge.
  • Order your bars from left to proper in such a approach that exposes a related pattern or message.

5. Pie Chart

Bear in mind, a pie chart represents numbers in percentages, and the whole sum of all segments must equal 100%.

Types of charts — example of a pie chart.

Greatest Use Circumstances for This Kind of Chart

The picture above reveals one other instance of shoppers by position within the firm.

The bar chart instance reveals you that there are extra particular person contributors than some other position. However this pie chart makes it clear that they make up over 50% of buyer roles.

Pie charts make it straightforward to see a piece in relation to the entire, so they’re good for exhibiting:

  • Buyer personas in relation to all prospects.
  • Income out of your hottest merchandise or product varieties in relation to all product gross sales.
  • % of whole revenue from completely different retailer areas.

Design Greatest Practices for Pie Charts

  • Do not illustrate too many classes to make sure differentiation between slices.
  • Be sure that the slice values add as much as 100%.
  • Order slices in response to their measurement.

6. Scatter Plot Chart

As I mentioned earlier, a scatter plot or scattergram chart will present the connection between two completely different variables or reveal distribution tendencies.

Use this chart when there are various completely different knowledge factors, and also you need to spotlight similarities within the knowledge set. That is helpful when on the lookout for outliers or understanding your knowledge’s distribution.

Types of charts — example of a scatter plot chart.

Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Charts

Scatter plots are useful in conditions the place you may have an excessive amount of knowledge to see a sample shortly. They’re finest once you use them to point out relationships between two massive knowledge units.

Within the instance above, this chart reveals how buyer happiness pertains to the time it takes for them to get a response.

Any such chart makes it straightforward to match two knowledge units. Use instances would possibly embody:

  • Employment and manufacturing output.
  • Retail gross sales and inflation.
  • Customer numbers and outside temperature.
  • Gross sales progress and tax legal guidelines.

Strive to decide on two knowledge units that have already got a optimistic or destructive relationship. That mentioned, any such chart may make it simpler to see knowledge that falls exterior of regular patterns.

Design Greatest Practices for Scatter Plots

  • Embrace extra variables, like completely different sizes, to include extra knowledge.
  • Begin the y-axis at 0 to symbolize knowledge precisely.
  • In case you use pattern traces, solely use a most of two to make your plot straightforward to grasp.

7. Bubble Chart

A bubble chart is just like a scatter plot in that it will probably present distribution or relationship. There’s a third knowledge set proven by the scale of the bubble or circle.

 Types of charts — example of a bubble chart.

Greatest Use Circumstances for This Kind of Chart

Within the instance above, the variety of hours spent on-line is not simply in comparison with the consumer’s age, as it could be on a scatter plot chart.

As an alternative, you can too see how the gender of the consumer impacts time spent on-line.

This makes bubble charts helpful for seeing the rise or fall of tendencies over time. It additionally helps you to add another choice once you’re making an attempt to grasp relationships between completely different segments or classes.

For instance, if you wish to launch a brand new product, this chart might enable you to shortly see your new product’s price, danger, and worth. This may help you focus your energies on a low-risk new product with a excessive potential return.

You may also use bubble charts for:

  • Prime gross sales by month and site.
  • Buyer satisfaction surveys.
  • Retailer efficiency monitoring.
  • Advertising and marketing marketing campaign evaluations.

Design Greatest Practices for Bubble Charts

  • Scale bubbles in response to space, not diameter.
  • Be sure labels are clear and visual.
  • Use round shapes solely.

8. Waterfall Chart

I generally use a waterfall chart to point out how an preliminary worth modifications with intermediate values — both optimistic or destructive — and leads to a last worth.

Use this chart to disclose the composition of a quantity. An instance of this may be to showcase how completely different departments affect general firm income and result in a selected revenue quantity.

Types of charts — example of a waterfall chart.

Picture Supply

Greatest Use Circumstances for This Kind of Chart

A majority of these charts make it simpler to grasp how inner and exterior components impression a product or marketing campaign as a complete.

Within the instance above, the chart strikes from the beginning stability on the far left to the ending stability on the far proper. Components within the middle embody deposits, transfers out and in, and financial institution charges.

A waterfall chart affords a fast visible, making advanced processes and outcomes simpler to see and troubleshoot. For instance, SaaS corporations typically measure buyer churn. This format may help visualize modifications in new, present, and free trial customers or modifications by consumer section.

You might also need to strive a waterfall chart to point out:

  • Adjustments in income or revenue over time.
  • Stock audits.
  • Worker staffing evaluations.

Design Greatest Practices for Waterfall Charts

  • Use contrasting colours to focus on variations in knowledge units.
  • Select heat colours to point will increase and funky colours to point decreases.

9. Funnel Chart

A funnel chart reveals a collection of steps and the completion price for every step. Use any such chart to trace the gross sales course of or the conversion price throughout a collection of pages or steps.

Types of charts — example of a funnel chart.

Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Charts

The commonest use case for a funnel chart is the advertising or gross sales funnel. However there are various different methods to make use of this versatile chart.

When you have a minimum of 4 phases of sequential knowledge, this chart may help you simply see what inputs or outputs impression the ultimate outcomes.

For instance, a funnel chart may help you see easy methods to enhance your purchaser journey or buying cart workflow. It is because it will probably assist pinpoint main drop-off factors.

Different stellar choices for most of these charts embody:

  • Deal pipelines.
  • Conversion and retention evaluation.
  • Bottlenecks in manufacturing and different multi-step processes.
  • Advertising and marketing marketing campaign efficiency.
  • Web site conversion monitoring.

Design Greatest Practices for Funnel Charts

  • Scale the scale of every part to precisely mirror the scale of the info set.
  • Use contrasting colours or one coloration in graduated hues, from darkest to lightest, as the scale of the funnel decreases.

10. Warmth Map

A warmth map reveals the connection between two gadgets and offers ranking info, similar to excessive to low or poor to glorious. This chart shows the ranking info utilizing various colours or saturation.

 Types of charts — example of a heat map.

Greatest Use Circumstances for Warmth Maps

Within the instance above, the darker the shade of inexperienced reveals the place nearly all of folks agree.

With sufficient knowledge, warmth maps could make a viewpoint which may appear subjective extra concrete. This makes it simpler for a enterprise to behave on buyer sentiment.

There are lots of makes use of for most of these charts. The truth is, many tech corporations use warmth map instruments to gauge consumer expertise for apps, on-line instruments, and web site design.

One other frequent use for warmth map charts is location evaluation. In case you’re looking for the precise location to your new retailer, these maps may give you an thought of what the realm is like in ways in which a go to cannot talk.

Warmth maps may assist with recognizing patterns, so that they’re good for analyzing tendencies that change shortly, like advert conversions. They’ll additionally assist with:

  • Competitor analysis.
  • Buyer sentiment.
  • Gross sales outreach.
  • Marketing campaign impression.
  • Buyer demographics.

Design Greatest Practices for Warmth Map

  • Use a fundamental and clear map define to keep away from distracting from the info.
  • Use a single coloration in various shades to point out modifications in knowledge.
  • Keep away from utilizing a number of patterns.

11. Gantt Chart

The Gantt chart is a horizontal chart that dates again to 1917. This chart maps the completely different duties accomplished over a time period.

Gantt charting is likely one of the most important instruments for undertaking managers. It brings all the finished and uncompleted duties into one place and tracks the progress of every.

Whereas the left facet of the chart shows all of the duties, the precise facet reveals the progress and schedule for every of those duties.

This chart sort permits you to:

  • Break initiatives into duties.
  • Observe the beginning and finish of the duties.
  • Set essential occasions, conferences, and bulletins.
  • Assign duties to the crew and people.

Gantt Chart - product creation strategy

Greatest Use Circumstances for This Kind of Chart

Gantt charts are good for analyzing, street mapping, and monitoring progress over a time period.

The chart above divides the completely different duties concerned in product creation. Every of those duties has a timeline that may be mapped on the calendar view.

From the imaginative and prescient and technique to the seed funding spherical, the Gantt chart helps undertaking administration groups construct long-term methods.

The most effective half? You may carry the stakeholders, undertaking crew, and managers to a single place.

You should use Gantt charts in varied duties, together with:

  • Monitoring worker data as a human useful resource.
  • Monitoring gross sales leads in a gross sales course of.
  • Plan and monitor building work.

Design Greatest Practices for Gantt Charts

  • Use similar colours for the same group of actions.
  • Be sure to label the duty dependencies to map undertaking begin and completion.
  • Use gentle colours that align with the texts and grids of the chart.

12. Treemap

A treemap is a chart that represents hierarchical knowledge in a tree-like diagram. As evident from the title, treemaps have knowledge organized as branches and sub-branches.

The info within the chart is nested within the type of rectangles and sub-rectangles. Every of those rectangles and sub-rectangles has completely different dimensions and plot colours that are assigned w.r.t to the quantitative knowledge.

Treemap chart — Top ACME Products by Revenue

Picture Supply

Greatest Use Circumstances for This Kind of Chart

The treemap chart compares the completely different merchandise in a class or sub-category. Within the diagram above, the merchandise are divided by income.

Take a look at the 4 mother or father classes: Fruits, Greens, Dairy, and Meat. That is adopted by subsequent sub-categories or sub-products. The size of those rectangles are in proportion to their numerical amount and different rectangles in the identical class.

The colours of those rectangles are plotted as per the income generated. Treemap charts are efficient in differentiating between the merchandise that lie in the identical group however are divided into completely different sub-groups.

This type of mapping chart is finest used:

  • When there are a whole lot of classes and even deeper layers of sub-categories. For instance, Whole votes forged w.r.t. States.
  • To check the info with respect to solely two quantitative values.
  • To check the efficiency of merchandise and establish similarities and anomalies inside a single or a number of classes.

Design Greatest Practices for Treemaps

  • Use contrasting and brilliant colours to focus on variations between sub-categories.
  • Arrange the rectangles so as of bigger space to smaller in measurement (i.e., from prime to backside).
  • Mark down every rectangle with textual content or numbers to make it straightforward to learn.

13. Donut Chart

A donut chart capabilities the identical as a pie chart however is commonly most popular over the latter as a result of the lacking middle makes the distinction in knowledge portions extra obvious. 

Primarily, pie charts may be complicated at first look as a result of the human eye won’t be capable of discern the distinction in measurement between every slice. Donut charts power the attention to take a look at the size of the perimeter, making it simpler to discern measurement. 

donut graph

Obtain our FREE Excel Graph Templates for this graph and extra!

Greatest Use Circumstances for This Kind of Chart

I exploit donut charts for a similar use instances as pie charts, however I are likely to choose the previous due to the additional benefit that the info is less complicated to learn.

One other profit to donut charts is that the empty middle leaves room for further layers of knowledge, like within the examples above. 

Design Greatest Practices for Donut Charts 

Use various colours to raised differentiate the info being displayed, simply be certain that the colours are in the identical palette so viewers aren’t delay by clashing hues. 

The best way to Select the Proper Chart or Graph for Your Knowledge

Channels like social media or blogs have a number of knowledge sources, and managing these advanced content material belongings can get overwhelming. What do you have to be monitoring? What issues most?

How do you visualize and analyze the info so you may extract insights and actionable info?

1. Establish your objectives for presenting the info.

Earlier than creating any data-based graphics, I ask myself if I need to persuade or make clear a degree. Am I making an attempt to visualise knowledge that helped me resolve an issue? Or am I making an attempt to speak a change that is occurring?

A chart or graph may help evaluate completely different values, perceive how completely different components impression the entire, or analyze tendencies. Charts and graphs will also be helpful for recognizing knowledge that veers away from what you’re used to or enable you to see relationships between teams.

So, make clear your objectives then use them to information your chart choice.

2. Determine what knowledge you should obtain your purpose.

Various kinds of charts and graphs use completely different varieties of knowledge. Graphs often symbolize numerical knowledge, whereas charts are visible representations of knowledge that will or might not use numbers.

So, whereas all graphs are a sort of chart, not all charts are graphs. In case you do not have already got the form of knowledge you want, you would possibly have to spend a while placing your knowledge collectively earlier than constructing your chart.

3. Collect your knowledge.

Most companies gather numerical knowledge frequently, however you might have to put in some further time to gather the precise knowledge to your chart.

Apart from quantitative knowledge instruments that measure site visitors, income, and different consumer knowledge, you would possibly want some qualitative knowledge.

These are another methods you may collect knowledge to your knowledge visualization:

  • Interviews 
  • Quizzes and surveys
  • Buyer evaluations
  • Reviewing buyer paperwork and data
  • Neighborhood boards

4. Choose the precise sort of graph or chart.

Selecting the incorrect visible help or defaulting to the commonest sort of knowledge visualization might confuse your viewer or result in mistaken knowledge interpretation.

However a chart is just helpful to you and your corporation if it communicates your level clearly and successfully.

Ask your self the questions beneath to assist discover the precise chart or graph sort.

Obtain the Excel templates talked about within the video right here.

5 Inquiries to Ask When Deciding Which Kind of Chart to Use

1. Do you need to evaluate values?

Charts and graphs are good for evaluating one or many worth units, and so they can simply present the high and low values within the knowledge units. To create a comparability chart, use most of these graphs:

  • Column
  • Mekko
  • Bar
  • Pie
  • Line
  • Scatter plot
  • Bullet

2. Do you need to present the composition of one thing?

Use any such chart to point out how particular person components make up the entire of one thing, just like the system sort used for cellular guests to your web site or whole gross sales damaged down by gross sales rep.

To point out composition, use these charts:

  • Pie
  • Stacked bar
  • Mekko
  • Space
  • Waterfall

3. Do you need to perceive the distribution of your knowledge?

Distribution charts enable you to to grasp outliers, the traditional tendency, and the vary of knowledge in your values.

Use these charts to point out distribution:

  • Scatter plot
  • Mekko
  • Line
  • Column
  • Bar

4. Are you curious about analyzing tendencies in your knowledge set?

In order for you extra details about how a knowledge set carried out throughout a selected time, there are particular chart varieties that do extraordinarily nicely.

You need to select one of many following:

  • Line
  • Twin-axis line
  • Column

5. Do you need to higher perceive the connection between worth units?

Relationship charts can present how one variable pertains to one or many various variables. You might use this to point out how one thing positively impacts, has no impact, or negatively impacts one other variable.

When making an attempt to determine the connection between issues, use these charts:

Featured Useful resource: The Marketer’s Information to Knowledge Visualization

Types of chart — HubSpot tool for making charts.

Obtain this free knowledge visualization information to be taught which graphs to make use of in your advertising, displays, or undertaking — and easy methods to use them successfully.

Put these new forms of charts and graphs into motion.

Now that you have chosen one of the best graph or chart to your undertaking, strive a knowledge visualization useful resource that makes your level clear and visible.

Knowledge visualization is only one a part of nice communication. To point out your prospects, staff, management, and traders that they are essential, preserve making time to be taught.

Plus, knowledge visualization provides a bit of razzle-dazzle to your corporation stories. 

Editor’s observe: This publish was initially printed in November 2020 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.excel graph templates

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular

Recent Comments