Chart Chooser
Find your chart based on your data type and objective
Explore charts
If you are aware of your data type and objective, jump straight to the Chart Chooser tool and start having fun.
Explore Charts1. Know Your Data Type
Knowing what kind of data you are dealing with is an essential phase to better extract insights from the data; since for each data type, you need to use the right mathematical techniques and visualization types.
Categorical
Data is labeled categorical if their values describe a quality, grade, level, or any other characteristics. Categorical data can be Nominal or Ordinal.
Ordinal
Ordered variables where the number of units in each variable is not the same.
Examples of Ordinal Data
Data is ordinal if it represents an ordered quality variable, and the number of units in each variable is not the same.
Levels
On
a
happiness scale, joy (high) has more units
of
happiness
than sad (low.)
Times of
day
Morning is 6 hours,
whereas
evening
lasts for about 3 hours.
Stages
of education
Elementary
school
has 8
grades and lasts for 8 years, whereas
college
consists
of 4 grades and lasts 4 years.
Nominal
Categorical data where the order doesn't matter.
Examples of Nominal Data
Nominal data is a type of categorical data where the order doesn't matter.
Gender
Countries' names
Colors
Tip: To identify nominal data, ask yourself the following question: Will the meaning change if I change the variables' order? If not, you have nominal data.
Continuous
Data is labeled continuous if the values are measured. Continuous data could be either interval or ratio.
Interval
Data where proportion doesn't make sense, and the zero has no meaning.
Examples of Interval Data
Interval data represents values where proportion doesn't make sense, and the zero has no meaning.
Intelligence quotient
Temperature
Time of the
day
1 pm, 2 pm, 4 am, etc
Tip: Interval data is often used in the social sciences.
Ratio
Data where the zero functions as a point of reference, and proportions make sense.
Examples of Ratio Data
For ratio data, the zero has a meaning as a point of reference, and proportions make sense.
Distance
5km,
1,84m, etc.
Weight
81.5kg
Days
2
or 3
days
Times
1
hour,
34min
Tip: Notice that ratio data does not have negative values, as there is no negative height or weight. Ratio data is popular in physical sciences.
2. Define your Objective
There are many objectives to visualize a data set. Here are the main commonly used objectives:
Comparison
Comparison estimates the similarities or not between two or more elements. Line, Bar, Bubble charts, and Treemaps are often used to compare categorical data.
Composition
Composition shows the continuent parts of an element. Donut, Pie, Stacked Bar, and Stacked Column charts are often used to visualize composition.
Relationship
Relationship demonstrates how one variable affects other variables. Scatter and Bubble charts are often used to visualize relationship.
Hierarchy
The hierarchy is a system where elements are arranged or ranked one above another. Treemap, Sunburst, and Circle chart are used to visualize hierarchy.
Distribution
Distribution depicts the frequency of a variable through time or space. Scatter, Histograms, and Pyramid charts are used to visualize distribution.
Flow
The flow is the action of moving along in a steady and continuous stream. Sankey diagram and Gantt are the main charts used to visualize the flow.
3. Choose Your Chart
Explore Charts
Go ahead and explore the tool using your knowledge of data types and visualization objectives.
Filters
Result:
Bar Chart Race
Line
Animated Map
Area Range
Density Chart
Streamgraph
Stacked Area
Line
Scatter
Map
Scatter
Line
Line
Bubble
Marker Clusters
Bell curve
Scatter
Map
Map
Column Chart
Bar Chart
Map
Network Graph
Treemap Chart
Sunburst Chart
Organization Chart
Pie Chart
Donut Chart
Split Packed Bubble
Sunburst Chart
Treemap Chart
Sankey Diagram
Treemap Chart
Sunburst Chart
Radial Chart
Donut Chart
Pie Chart
Stacked Bar Charts
Stacked Column Charts
Stacked Bar Charts
Stacked Column Charts
Sankey Diagram
Bar Chart