Different ways to represent your data, with examples and definitions.
Choose the right visualization for your data story.
Compare categories or groups to highlight differences and similarities.
Compare values across categories
When to Use
Compare discrete categories or show rankings
Show how data is spread or distributed across different values or ranges.
Show frequency distribution
When to Use
Show distribution of continuous variables
Display quartiles and outliers
When to Use
Display quartiles and identify outliers
Combine box plot with density
When to Use
Combine distribution shape with quartile information
Smooth distribution visualization (Bell curve)
When to Use
Show smooth probability distribution
Explore correlations and connections between two or more variables.
Show correlation between variables
When to Use
Explore relationship between two continuous variables
Three-dimensional scatter plot
When to Use
Add third dimension to scatter plot with size
Show how individual parts make up the whole or change over time.
Parts of a whole
When to Use
Show parts of a whole (use sparingly)
Pie chart with center space
When to Use
Parts of whole with space for additional info
Hierarchical composition
When to Use
Hierarchical data with size encoding
Display data with geographic or spatial context and relationships.
Color-coded regions (World maps)
When to Use
Show geographic patterns in data
Intensity-based geographic data
When to Use
Show intensity patterns across geography
Track changes and trends over time periods.
Continuous change over time
When to Use
Show trends and changes over time
Filled line chart
When to Use
Emphasize magnitude of change over time