There are extra kind of charts and graphs than ever earlier than as a result of there’s extra information. In reality, the quantity of information in 2025 shall be nearly double the info we create, seize, copy, and devour at this time.
This makes information visualization important for companies. Several types of graphs and charts may help you:
- Encourage your staff to take motion.
- Impress stakeholders with purpose progress.
- Present your viewers what you worth as a enterprise.
Knowledge visualization builds belief and may set up numerous groups round new initiatives. Let’s speak concerning the kinds of graphs and charts that you should utilize to develop your corporation.
Totally different Varieties of Graphs for Knowledge Visualization
1. Bar Graph
A bar graph must be used to keep away from litter when one information label is lengthy or you probably have greater than 10 objects to match.
Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Graphs
Bar graphs may help you evaluate information between completely different teams or to trace adjustments over time. Bar graphs are most helpful when there are huge adjustments or to point out how one group compares towards different teams.
The instance above compares the variety of clients by enterprise position. It makes it straightforward to see that there’s greater than twice the variety of clients per position for particular person contributors than some other group.
A bar graph additionally makes it straightforward to see which group of information is highest or most typical.
For instance, firstly of the pandemic, on-line companies noticed an enormous leap in visitors. So, if you wish to take a look at month-to-month visitors for an internet enterprise, a bar graph would make it straightforward to see that leap.
Different use circumstances for bar graphs embrace:
- Product comparisons.
- Product utilization.
- Class comparisons.
- Advertising visitors by month or yr.
- Advertising conversions.
Design Greatest Practices for Bar Graphs
- Use constant colours all through the chart, deciding on accent colours to spotlight significant information factors or adjustments over time.
- Use horizontal labels to enhance readability.
- Begin the y-axis at 0 to appropriately replicate the values in your graph.
2. Line Graph
A line graph reveals traits or progress over time, and you should utilize it to point out many alternative classes of information. You must use it while you chart a steady information set.
Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Graphs
Line graphs assist customers monitor adjustments over quick and lengthy durations. Due to this, all these graphs are good for seeing small adjustments.
Line graphs may help you evaluate adjustments for multiple group over the identical interval. They’re additionally useful for measuring how completely different teams relate to one another.
A enterprise may 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 staff responds to per 30 days.
Design Greatest Practices for Line Graphs
- Use stable 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 gives context within the type of a ranking or efficiency.
Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Graphs
Within the instance above, the bullet graph reveals the variety of new clients towards a set buyer purpose. Bullet graphs are nice for evaluating efficiency towards targets like this.
A majority of these graphs may also assist groups assess potential roadblocks as a result of you’ll be able to analyze information in a decent visible show.
For instance, you possibly can create a collection of bullet graphs measuring efficiency towards benchmarks or use a single bullet graph to visualise these KPIs towards their targets:
- Income.
- Revenue.
- Buyer satisfaction.
- Common order dimension.
- New clients.
Seeing this information at a look and alongside one another may help groups make fast choices.
Bullet graphs are probably the greatest methods to show year-over-year information evaluation. It’s also possible to use bullet graphs to visualise:
- Buyer satisfaction scores.
- Product utilization.
- Buyer procuring habits.
- Social media utilization by platform.
Design Greatest Practices for Bullet Graphs
- Use contrasting colours to spotlight how the info is progressing.
- Use one shade in numerous shades to gauge progress.
Totally different Varieties of Charts for Knowledge Visualization
To higher perceive these chart sorts and the way you should utilize them, here is an outline of every:
1. Column Chart
Use a column chart to point out a comparability amongst completely different objects or to point out a comparability of things over time. You possibly can use this format to see the income per touchdown web page or clients by shut date.
Greatest Use Circumstances for This Sort of Chart
You should utilize each column charts and bar graphs to show adjustments in information, however column charts are greatest for unfavourable information. The primary distinction, after all, is that column charts present data vertically whereas bar graphs present information 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 clients by shut date. Column charts make it straightforward to see information adjustments over a time period. Because of this they’ve many use circumstances, together with:
- Buyer survey information, like exhibiting what number of clients want a particular product or how a lot a buyer makes use of a product every day.
- Gross sales quantity, like exhibiting which companies 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, deciding on accent colours to spotlight significant information factors or adjustments over time.
- Use horizontal labels to enhance readability.
- Begin the y-axis at 0 to appropriately replicate the values in your graph.
2. Twin-Axis Chart
A dual-axis chart means that you can plot information utilizing two y-axes and a shared x-axis. It has three information units. One is a steady information set, and the opposite is healthier suited to grouping by class. Use this chart to visualise a correlation or the dearth thereof between these three information units.
Greatest Use Circumstances for This Sort of Chart
A dual-axis chart makes it straightforward to see relationships between completely different information units. They will additionally assist with evaluating traits.
For instance, the chart above reveals what number of new clients this firm brings in every month. It additionally reveals how a lot income these clients are bringing the corporate.
This makes it easy to see the connection between the variety of clients and elevated income.
You should utilize dual-axis charts to match:
- Value and quantity of your merchandise.
- Income and items offered.
- Gross sales and revenue margin.
- Particular person gross sales efficiency.
Design Greatest Practices for Twin-Axis Charts
- Use the y-axis on the left facet for the first variable as a result of brains naturally look left first.
- Use completely different graphing types for instance the 2 information units, as illustrated above.
- Select contrasting colours for the 2 information units.
3. Space Chart
An space chart is principally a line chart, however the area between the x-axis and the road is full of a shade or sample. It’s helpful for exhibiting part-to-whole relations, like exhibiting particular person gross sales reps’ contributions to complete gross sales for a yr. It helps you analyze each general and particular person pattern data.
Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Charts
Space charts assist present adjustments over time. They work greatest for large variations between information units and assist visualize huge traits.
For instance, the chart above reveals customers by creation date and life cycle stage.
A line chart might present extra subscribers than advertising and marketing certified leads. However this space chart emphasizes how a lot greater the variety of subscribers is than some other group.
These charts make the dimensions of a bunch and the way teams relate to one another extra visually vital than information adjustments over time.
Space graphs may help your corporation to:
- Visualize which product classes or merchandise inside a class are hottest.
- Present key efficiency indicator (KPI) targets vs. outcomes.
- Spot and analyze business traits.
Design Greatest Practices for Space Charts
- Use clear colours so data is not obscured within the background.
- Do not show greater than 4 classes to keep away from litter.
- Set up extremely variable information on the prime of the chart to make it straightforward to learn.
4. Stacked Bar Chart
Use this chart to match many alternative objects and present the composition of every merchandise you’re evaluating.
Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Graphs
These graphs are useful when a bunch begins in a single column and strikes to a different over time.
For instance, the distinction between a advertising and marketing certified lead (MQL) and a gross sales certified lead (SQL) is usually laborious to see. The chart above helps stakeholders see these two lead sorts from a single perspective — when a lead adjustments from MQL to SQL.
Stacked bar charts are wonderful for advertising and marketing. They make it easy so as to add a number of information on a single chart or to make a degree with restricted area.
These graphs 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 number of time to say it.
Stacked bar charts are additionally a sensible possibility for planning or technique conferences. It’s because these charts can present a number of data without delay, however additionally they make it straightforward to concentrate on one stack at a time or transfer information as wanted.
It’s also possible to use these charts to:
- Present the frequency of survey responses.
- Establish outliers in historic information.
- Examine part of a method to its efficiency as an entire.
Design Greatest Practices for Stacked Bar Graphs
- Greatest used for instance part-to-whole relationships.
- Use contrasting colours for larger readability.
- Make the chart scale massive sufficient to view group sizes in relation to 1 one other.
5. Mekko Chart
Often known as a Marimekko chart, this sort of graph can evaluate values, measure every one’s composition, and present information distribution throughout every one.
It is just like a stacked bar, besides the Mekko’s x-axis can seize one other dimension of your values — as a substitute of time development, like column charts typically do. Within the graphic beneath, the x-axis compares the cities to 1 one other.
Greatest Use Circumstances for This Sort of Chart
You should utilize 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 companies handle essentially the most belongings in numerous areas.
It is also straightforward to see which asset managers are the most important and the way they relate to one another.
Mekko charts can appear extra complicated than different kinds of charts and graphs, so it is best to make use of these in conditions the place you need to emphasize scale or variations between teams of information.
Different use circumstances for Mekko charts embrace:
- 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
- Fluctuate your bar heights if the portion dimension is a vital level of comparability.
- Do not embrace too many composite values inside every bar. Take into account reevaluating your presentation you probably have a number of information.
- Order your bars from left to proper in such a approach that exposes a related pattern or message.
6. Pie Chart
A pie chart reveals a static quantity and the way classes characterize half of a complete — the composition of one thing. A pie chart represents numbers in percentages, and the overall sum of all segments must equal 100%.
Greatest Use Circumstances for This Sort of Chart
The picture above reveals one other instance of consumers by position within the firm.
The bar graph 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 clients.
- Income out of your hottest merchandise or product sorts in relation to all product gross sales.
- P.c of complete 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 certain that the slice values add as much as 100%.
- Order slices in line with their dimension.
7. Scatter Plot Chart
A scatter plot or scattergram chart will present the connection between two completely different variables or reveal distribution traits.
Use this chart when there are lots of completely different information factors, and also you need to spotlight similarities within the information set. That is helpful when searching for outliers or understanding your information’s distribution.
Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Charts
Scatter plots are useful in conditions the place you may have an excessive amount of information to see a sample shortly. They’re greatest while you use them to point out relationships between two massive information 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 graph makes it straightforward to match two information units. Use circumstances may embrace:
- Employment and manufacturing output.
- Retail gross sales and inflation.
- Customer numbers and outside temperature.
- Gross sales progress and tax legal guidelines.
Attempt to decide on two information units that have already got a constructive or unfavourable relationship. That mentioned, this sort of graph may also make it simpler to see information that falls exterior of regular patterns.
Design Greatest Practices for Scatter Plots
- Embrace extra variables, like completely different sizes, to include extra information.
- Begin the y-axis at 0 to characterize information precisely.
- For those who use pattern traces, solely use a most of two to make your plot straightforward to know.
8. Bubble Chart
A bubble chart is just like a scatter plot in that it might probably present distribution or relationship. There’s a third information set proven by the dimensions of the bubble or circle.
Greatest Use Circumstances for This Sort of Chart
Within the instance above, the variety of hours spent on-line is not simply in comparison with the person’s age, as it will be on a scatter plot chart.
As a substitute, you can even see how the gender of the person impacts time spent on-line.
This makes bubble charts helpful for seeing the rise or fall of traits over time. It additionally allows you to add another choice while you’re making an attempt to know relationships between completely different segments or classes.
For instance, if you wish to launch a brand new product, this chart might enable you shortly see your new product’s value, threat, and worth. This may help you focus your energies on a low-risk new product with a excessive potential return.
It’s also possible to use bubble charts for:
- Prime gross sales by month and site.
- Buyer satisfaction surveys.
- Retailer efficiency monitoring.
- Advertising marketing campaign critiques.
Design Greatest Practices for Bubble Charts
- Scale bubbles in line with space, not diameter.
- Make certain labels are clear and visual.
- Use round shapes solely.
9. Waterfall Chart
Use a waterfall chart to point out how an preliminary worth adjustments with intermediate values — both constructive or unfavourable — and ends in a remaining 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 particular revenue quantity.
Greatest Use Circumstances for This Sort of Chart
A majority of these charts make it simpler to know how inner and exterior elements affect a product or marketing campaign as an entire.
Within the instance above, the chart strikes from the beginning stability on the far left to the ending stability on the far proper. Elements within the middle embrace deposits, transfers out and in, and financial institution charges.
A waterfall chart affords a fast visible, making complicated processes and outcomes simpler to see and troubleshoot. For instance, SaaS corporations typically measure buyer churn. This format may help visualize adjustments in new, present, and free trial customers or adjustments by person section.
You may additionally need to attempt a waterfall chart to point out:
- Adjustments in income or revenue over time.
- Stock audits.
- Worker staffing critiques.
Design Greatest Practices for Waterfall Charts
- Use contrasting colours to spotlight variations in information units.
- Select heat colours to point will increase and funky colours to point decreases.
10. Funnel Chart
A funnel chart reveals a collection of steps and the completion price for every step. Use this sort of chart to trace the gross sales course of or the conversion price throughout a collection of pages or steps.
Greatest Use Circumstances for These Varieties of Charts
The commonest use case for a funnel chart is the advertising and marketing or gross sales funnel. However there are lots of different methods to make use of this versatile chart.
When you’ve got at the very least 4 levels of sequential information, this chart may help you simply see what inputs or outputs affect the ultimate outcomes.
For instance, a funnel chart may help you see how you can enhance your purchaser journey or procuring cart workflow. It’s because it might probably assist pinpoint main drop-off factors.
Different stellar choices for all these charts embrace:
- Deal pipelines.
- Conversion and retention evaluation.
- Bottlenecks in manufacturing and different multi-step processes.
- Advertising marketing campaign efficiency.
- Web site conversion monitoring.
Design Greatest Practices for Funnel Charts
- Scale the dimensions of every part to precisely replicate the dimensions of the info set.
- Use contrasting colours or one shade in graduated hues, from darkest to lightest, as the dimensions of the funnel decreases.
11. Warmth Map
A warmth map reveals the connection between two objects and gives ranking data, resembling excessive to low or poor to wonderful. This chart shows the ranking data utilizing various colours or saturation.
Greatest Use Circumstances for Warmth Maps
Within the instance above, the darker the shade of inexperienced reveals the place the vast majority of individuals agree.
With sufficient information, warmth maps could make a viewpoint that may appear subjective extra concrete. This makes it simpler for a enterprise to behave on buyer sentiment.
There are numerous makes use of for all these charts. In reality, many tech corporations use warmth map instruments to gauge person expertise for apps, on-line instruments, and web site design.
One other frequent use for warmth map graphs is location evaluation. For those who’re looking for the precise location on your new retailer, these maps can provide you an concept of what the world is like in ways in which a go to cannot talk.
Warmth maps may also assist with recognizing patterns, so that they’re good for analyzing traits that change shortly, like advert conversions. They will additionally assist with:
- Competitor analysis.
- Buyer sentiment.
- Gross sales outreach.
- Marketing campaign affect.
- 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 shade in various shades to point out adjustments in information.
- Keep away from utilizing a number of patterns.
12. 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 venture 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 kind means that you can:
- Break tasks into duties.
- Observe the beginning and finish of the duties.
- Set vital occasions, conferences, and bulletins.
- Assign duties to the staff and people.
Greatest Use Circumstances for This Sort of Chart
Gantt charts are excellent for analyzing, highway 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 venture administration groups construct long-term methods.
The very best half? You may carry the stakeholders, venture staff, and managers to a single place.
You should utilize Gantt charts in varied duties, together with:
- Monitoring worker information as a human useful resource.
- Monitoring gross sales leads in a gross sales course of.
- Plan and monitor development work.
Design Greatest Practices for Gantt Charts
- Use similar colours for the same group of actions.
- Make certain to label the duty dependencies to map venture begin and completion.
- Use mild colours that align with the texts and grids of the chart.
13. Treemap
A treemap is a chart that represents hierarchical information in a tree-like diagram. As evident from the identify, treemaps have information organized as branches and sub-branches.
The information 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 information.
Greatest Use Circumstances for This Sort 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 greatest used:
- When there are tons of 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 determine similarities and anomalies inside a single or a number of classes.
Design Greatest Practices for Treemaps
- Use contrasting and vibrant colours to spotlight variations between sub-categories.
- Set up the rectangles so as of bigger space to smaller in dimension (i.e., from prime to backside).
- Mark down every rectangle with textual content or numbers to make it straightforward to learn.
The right way to Select the Proper Chart or Graph for Your Knowledge
Channels like social media or blogs have a number of information sources, and managing these complicated 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’ll be able to extract insights and actionable data?
1. Establish your targets for presenting the info.
Do you need to persuade or make clear a degree? Are you making an attempt to visualise information that helped you remedy an issue? Or are you making an attempt to speak a change that is taking place?
A chart or graph may help you evaluate completely different values, perceive how completely different elements affect the entire, or analyze traits. Charts and graphs will also be helpful for recognizing information that veers away from what you’re used to or enable you see relationships between teams.
Make clear your targets, then use them to information your chart choice.
2. Work out what information it is advisable to obtain your purpose.
Several types of charts and graphs use completely different varieties of information. Graphs normally characterize numerical information, whereas charts are visible representations of information that will or could not use numbers.
So, whereas all graphs are a kind of chart, not all charts are graphs. For those who do not have already got the form of information you want, you may have to spend a while placing your information collectively earlier than constructing your chart.
3. Collect your information.
Most companies gather numerical information usually, however you could have to put in some additional time to gather the precise information on your chart. Moreover quantitative information instruments that measure visitors, income, and different person information, you may want some qualitative information.
These are another methods you’ll be able to collect information on your information visualization:
- InterviewsÂ
- Quizzes and surveys
- Buyer critiques
- Reviewing buyer paperwork and information
- Neighborhood boards
4. Choose the precise kind of graph or chart.
Selecting the unsuitable visible support or defaulting to the commonest kind of information visualization might confuse your viewer or result in mistaken information interpretation.
However a chart is barely 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 kind.
Obtain the Excel templates talked about within the video right here.
5 Inquiries to Ask When Deciding Which Sort of Chart to Use
1. Do you need to evaluate values?
Charts and graphs are excellent for evaluating one or many worth units, and so they can simply present the high and low values within the information units. To create a comparability chart, use all these graphs:
- Column
- Mekko
- Bar
- Pie
- Line
- Scatter plot
- Bullet
2. Do you need to present the composition of one thing?
Use this sort of chart to point out how particular person elements make up the entire of one thing, just like the gadget kind used for cell guests to your web site or complete 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 information?
Distribution charts enable you to know outliers, the conventional 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 traits in your information set?
If you would like extra details about how a knowledge set carried out throughout a particular time, there are particular chart sorts that do extraordinarily nicely.
You must 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 alternative variables. You possibly can 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
Obtain this free information visualization information to be taught which graphs to make use of in your advertising and marketing, shows, or venture — and how you can use them successfully.
Put these new kinds of charts and graphs into motion.
Now that you’ve got chosen the most effective graph or chart on your venture, attempt 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 clients, staff, management, and traders that they are vital, hold making time to be taught.
Editor’s be aware: This submit was initially printed in November 2020 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.
