Which Chart Should I Use to Visualize my Data?

We all know the saying, "a picture paints a thousand words". But have you ever heard the saying "a chart can paint a thousand words and numbers"? This is one of the reasons it is a great idea to visualize your data with charts in Excel. They allow us to quickly share the big picture and insights expressed behind our numbers. However, an important question is: "what chart should I use to tell the story behind my data?" In this article, lets cover five commonly used charts and when you can utilize them to visualize and analyze your data so it's easier to interpret.

#1 Colum Charts

Column charts are most suitable when you want to compare different categories against each other. Below we have a table showing monthly sales for devices that use four different operating systems. In this newsletter charts will be placed below that visualize the raw data in the table.

A column chart below shows how the total sales for each operating system compare against each other.

Here is another example where a column chart is being used to show how monthly sales for the same table of data compared among the four operating systems.

#2 Bar Charts

I like to think of bar charts as column charts flipped sideways. Like column charts, bar charts are appropriate for showing how multiple categories compare against each other but it gives you this alternative view.

#3 Line Charts

Line charts are suitable for showing how values fluctuate over time. This type of chart can reveal trends in your data that are truly invaluable. For example, it can reveal a time of the week, month or year when sales decrease or increase. You can then investigate what is the cause of the rise or fall in sales at this time and make informed decisions that are beneficial.

#4 & 5 Pie & Donut Chart

Pie and donut charts are useful when you want to show the proportion occupied by different categories out of 100%. I prefer donut charts because I believe they offer a more modern and stylish depiction of these scenarios.

In this newsletter we have covered some really common and basic charts and their use. Why? Because more often than not these simple charts are the ones you will find yourself using in your company or personal projects to visualize your data. I hope you found the information helpful.

Would you like to learn how to use charts, graphs and dashboards to visualize and analyze your data? Sign up for my Data Visualization & Analysis With Charts & Graphs course in the link below.