You’ve got data and you’ve got questions. But which types of charts and graphs can help you get to the heart of your goal?
This paper describes eleven types of charts and graphs to help you determine when to use each. It also includes dozens of tips on how to enhance visualizations to make your data pop. But you won’t want to stop there.
Once you’ve got a chart or graph that answers your initial question, you’ll have more. Creating visualizations that are interactive gives you the power to ask – and answer – questions as quickly as you think of them. And combining interactive charts and graphs with each other on a dashboard makes the impact of your data explode. For each type of chart and graph described, you’ll be able to experience for yourself the impact of interacting directly with data by selecting an image.
The types of charts and graphs described in the paper include:
- Bar
- Line
- Pie
- Map
- Scatter plot
- Gantt
- Bubble
- Histogram
- Bullet
- Heat map
- Highlight table
Get started by creating the best type of chart for your data and questions. From there, you’ll quickly find you’re not only answering your initial questions, but telling amazing stories with your data.
Author
Ross Perez is the Website Marketing Specialist for Tableau Software, a role which encompasses SEO, on-page optimization, analytics and project management. A large part of his role involves using Tableau’s business intelligence software to discover and share insights that help to make the Tableau website more efficient and productive.
Daniel is a Data Analyst tasked to find data that tell great stories, primarily in the financial industry. His role is to champion Tableau Public by creating visualizations for the web and cultivating a community of users to do the same. He has a multimedia journalism background and loves talking to others who dream of numbers and stories at night.
You can see his work online at the Wall Street Journal, GeekWire, Fortune, Forbes and more. Dan has a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego and a Master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.
If a viz falls onto the web and no one sees it, did it happen? Lori likes data visualizations, but she likes them best when they get seen and used. She is happiest vizing away on Tableau Public and helping others become killer analysts. Lori’s visualizations have appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Guardian Data Blog and Mashable. Lori earned a Ph.D. in Epidemiology at the University of Washington, a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and B.A. in Biology at Northwestern University. @VisualLori
