Name: Which is the best chart: Selecting among 14 types of charts Part I
Uploaded: 2020-03-09T00:51:10.000Z
Duration: 12 min 8 s
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This is the perfect video, if you would like to avoid creating charts like this one.

Adverbs of manner

Being able to choose the right type of chart for the data you are working with is not an

exact science, but I’m sure you will agree something went wrong with these examples.

One can’t be certain whether they have been taken from a horror movie or a hippie fest.

In 99.9% of cases, we don’t want to show this to our audience.

A chance to make a convincing argument through visualizing data.

We are not going to convince anybody if we choose a type of chart that is not the right

To help you overcome or avoid this issue, in this video we’ll discuss:

a) the different types of charts, and b) the type of data they are suitable for

Bar charts Probably the most frequently used type of

As its name suggests it is composed of a series of bars illustrating a variable’s development.

Given that bar charts are so common, people are generally familiar with them and can understand

Examples like this one are straightforward to read.

However, please be aware that bar charts can be confusing, too.

Especially if one uses them to compare several variables.

I personally believe that a comparison of more than two variables with a clustered bar

Here is an example of a clustered bar chart that is not exactly crystal clear:

This isn’t a horrible visualization, but it leaves plenty to be desired.

First of all, it is difficult to follow the trend of all five variables simultaneously,

Moreover, it is hard to gain an idea about the overall state of the Fiction Book Sales

market, and how it changed, which was probably what the person who created the chart wanted

When to use bar charts So, bar charts are nice, but limited.

We have to consider the type of data we want to visualize and the number of variables that

Bar charts are great when we want to track the development of one or two variables over

For example, one of the most frequent applications of bar charts in corporate presentations is

to show how a company’s total revenues have developed during a given period.

A bar chart can be used to make both a year-on-year comparison, and to provide a monthly breakdown.

Moreover, bar charts can be pretty intuitive when we compare the development of two numerical

Let’s say we would like to compare the revenues of two companies in the timeframe between

When to avoid using bar charts Simple bar charts are far from ideal in situations

when we have several variables and all of them are part of a whole.

Such as the case In the Fiction Book Sales chart we showed you, there were five categories:

Young adult; classics; mystery; romance; and Sci-fi.

All of which account for all fiction books.

Meaning, their sum gives us the total volume of the Fiction book sales market.

Do we get any of this information with this bar chart?

It simply shows us multiple lines and one has to start making calculations on their

own to understand how numbers developed over time.

And if they have to do that, why bother creating a chart?

We are better off showing the data in a table format, right?

So, this certainly is one case where we should use a different type of chart.

Along the same lines, a simple bar chart isn’t suitable when we have a single period breakdown

If I want to portray the main business lines that contributed to a company’s revenues

Instead, I’d create a pie chart or one of its variations.

Pie charts A pie chart is a circular graph divided into

The larger a slice is, the bigger portion of the total quantity it represents.

When to use a pie chart So, pie charts are best suited to depict sections

If a company operates three separate divisions, at year end its top management would be interested

in seeing what portion of total revenue each division accounted for.

However, we need to be certain that the sum of the proportions makes 100% of the total.

That is, we cannot afford to forget any of the three divisions contributing to total

When to avoid pie charts Obviously, we can’t use a pie chart in situations

when we would like to show how a variable (or multiple variables) develops over time.

Pie charts are a definite no-go in these cases.

Moreover, as mentioned earlier, a pie chart would be misleading if we don’t consider

In the context of our example from earlier, we shouldn’t create a pie chart that includes

revenue of only two of the firm’s three divisions.

Doughnut charts Doughnut charts are basically pie charts with

When to use doughnut charts The use cases of pie and doughnut charts are

The only important difference is that doughnut charts allow us to indicate the total amount

If you use a pie chart, you will have to include the total amount elsewhere (like adding it

When to avoid using doughnut charts We already explained when to avoid using pie

One piece of advice when choosing whether to include a pie or a doughnut chart would

How likely is it they would be interested in seeing the total figure for breakdown you

If the split itself is more important, then go ahead and use a pie chart.

If the value of the total is important too, then perhaps a doughnut chart would be preferable.

Moreover, some studies have shown that people tend to get a distorted idea when shown pie

charts, as larger portions can look even more so because they cover more space.

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Which is the best chart: Selecting among 14 types of charts Part I

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recommend

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revenue