vamseeachanta Choose by Data Relationship (+1)
Choose by Data Relationship
| What You're Showing | Best Chart | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Trend over time | Line chart | Area chart (if showing cumulative or composition) |
| Comparison across categories | Vertical bar chart | Horizontal bar (many categories), lollipop chart |
| Ranking | Horizontal bar chart | Dot plot, slope chart (comparing two periods) |
| Part-to-whole composition | Stacked bar chart | Treemap (hierarchical), waffle chart |
| Composition over time | Stacked area chart | 100% stacked bar (for proportion focus) |
| Distribution | Histogram | Box plot (comparing groups), violin plot, strip plot |
| Correlation (2 variables) | Scatter plot | Bubble chart (add 3rd variable as size) |
| Correlation (many variables) | Heatmap (correlation matrix) | Pair plot |
| Geographic patterns | Choropleth map | Bubble map, hex map |
| Flow / process | Sankey diagram | Funnel chart (sequential stages) |
| Relationship network | Network graph | Chord diagram |
| Performance vs. target | Bullet chart | Gauge (single KPI only) |
| Multiple KPIs at once | Small multiples | Dashboard with separate charts |
When NOT to Use Certain Charts
- Pie charts: Avoid unless <6 categories and exact proportions matter less than rough comparison. Humans are bad at comparing angles. Use bar charts instead.
- 3D charts: Never. They distort perception and add no information.
- Dual-axis charts: Use cautiously. They can mislead by implying correlation. Clearly label both axes if used.
- Stacked bar (many categories): Hard to compare middle segments. Use small multiples or grouped bars instead.
- Donut charts: Slightly better than pie charts but same fundamental issues. Use for single KPI display at most.