The easiest way to get started is to decide what trend you need to visualize. Breaking things down into the following four categories: comparison, composition, distribution or relationship, will help you select the appropriate graphic type for your data.
Column Graph | Line Graph | Bar Chart | Map |
---|---|---|---|
If you want to compare elements in your data, your four best options are: column graph, line graph, bar chart or map.
Pie Chart | Stacked Bar Chart | Tree Map | Map |
---|---|---|---|
If you want to show the make-up of elements in your data, your four best options are: pie chart, stacked bar chart, tree map or map.
Line Graph | Histogram | Scatter plot | Map |
---|---|---|---|
If you want to show the distribution of elements in your data, your four best options are: line graph, histogram, scatter plot or map.
Scatter plot | Concept Model | Network diagram | Map |
If you want to show the relationships between elements in your data, your four best options are: scatter plot, network diagram, concept model or map.