Comparison Charts
Bar Chart (Horizontal)
Best for comparing categories. Horizontal bars help when category names are long.
Column Chart (Vertical)
Vertical bars. Great for comparisons across a few categories or short time periods.
Grouped Bar Chart
Compare multiple series side-by-side within each category group.
Trend Over Time
Line Chart
The go-to for time series. Shows continuous change and patterns at a glance. Use multiple lines to compare series.
Area Chart
Like a line chart but fills the area below. Emphasises magnitude of change, not just direction.
Stacked Area
Shows both individual contributions and the total trend over time. Great for compositions evolving over time.
Parts of a Whole
Pie Chart
Shows proportion of a whole. Best with ≤5 slices where differences are meaningful.
Donut Chart
A pie with a hole — allows a KPI stat to sit in the center. Looks more modern than a pie.
100% Stacked Bar
Each bar totals 100%. Perfect for comparing proportional compositions across categories.
Relationships & Correlation
Scatter Plot
Shows correlation between two variables. Each dot is one data point. Add a trendline to highlight direction.
Bubble Chart
Extends scatter with a third variable encoded as bubble size. Shows 3D relationships in 2D.
Radar / Spider Chart
Compares multiple entities across several qualitative dimensions simultaneously. Popular in sports analytics.
Distribution
Histogram
Groups continuous data into bins to show frequency distribution. Different from a bar chart — no gaps.
Box Plot
Shows median, quartiles, and outliers. Ideal for comparing distributions across groups.
Polar Area Chart
Like a pie but each slice has equal angles — size is encoded by radius, not angle. Good for cyclical data.
Flow & Special Charts
Funnel Chart
Shows drop-off through sequential stages. Essential for sales pipelines and conversion funnels.
Waterfall Chart
Visualises cumulative effect of sequential positive and negative values. Classic for financial P&L analysis.
Heatmap
Uses colour intensity to encode a third variable across a grid. Great for spotting patterns in 2D data.
Full Comparison Table
| Chart Type | Best Use Case | Beginner Friendly | Time Series | Compare Cats. | Show Parts | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Chart | Category comparison | ✓ | ~ | ✓ | – | |
| Line Chart | Trends over time | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | – | |
| Area Chart | Volume over time | ✓ | ✓ | – | ~ | |
| Pie Chart | Part-to-whole (≤5) | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | |
| Donut Chart | Part-to-whole + KPI | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | |
| Scatter Plot | Correlation between 2 vars | ~ | – | – | – | |
| Bubble Chart | 3-variable relationships | – | – | ~ | – | |
| Grouped Bar | Multi-series comparison | ✓ | – | ✓ | – | |
| Stacked Bar | Composition comparison | ~ | ~ | ~ | ✓ | |
| Histogram | Frequency distribution | ~ | – | – | – | |
| Box Plot | Statistical spread | – | – | ~ | – | |
| Radar Chart | Multi-dimension profiling | ~ | – | ✓ | – | |
| Funnel Chart | Conversion/pipeline | ✓ | – | – | ~ | |
| Waterfall Chart | Cumulative P&L | – | ~ | – | ~ | |
| Heatmap | Pattern in 2D grid | ~ | ~ | – | – | |
| Polar Area | Cyclical data | ~ | – | ~ | ~ | |
| Stacked Area | Composition over time | ~ | ✓ | – | ✓ |
Quick Selector — By Purpose
Compare Values
Bar ChartMost categories
Column ChartShort time periods
Grouped BarMultiple series
LollipopMany categories
Bullet Chartvs target/benchmark
Show Trends
Line ChartContinuous data
Area ChartMagnitude emphasis
Stacked AreaComposition over time
CandlestickFinancial OHLC
Slope ChartBefore vs after
Parts of a Whole
Pie Chart≤5 categories
Donut+ center KPI
Stacked Bar 100%Compare compositions
TreemapHierarchical parts
Waffle ChartIntuitive %
Show Relationships
Scatter Plot2-variable correlation
Bubble Chart3-variable view
Heatmap2D grid patterns
RadarMulti-dim profile
NetworkConnected data
Distributions & Flow
HistogramFrequency bins
Box PlotStatistical spread
FunnelConversion stages
WaterfallCumulative changes
SankeyFlows between nodes
Chart Best Practices
✓ Do's
Start axes at zero for bar/column charts — truncated axes exaggerate differences
Label data directly on the chart instead of relying on a legend when possible
Use consistent colours per category across all charts in a dashboard
Sort bar charts by value (descending) unless order carries meaning
Add a descriptive title that tells the insight, not just the data (e.g. "Revenue grew 40% in Q3")
Use colour to encode one variable only — don't add random colour variation
Keep ≤5 slices in pie charts — group the rest as "Other"
✗ Don'ts
Don't use 3D charts — they distort values and are harder to read accurately
Don't use pie charts when you have more than 5 categories or similar-sized values
Don't put two different chart types on a dual y-axis unless absolutely necessary
Don't use a line chart for categorical (non-continuous) data
Don't add gridlines, borders, and tick marks you don't need — reduce chart junk
Don't use rainbow colour schemes — they imply false ordinal meaning
Don't truncate y-axes on bar charts — it makes small differences look enormous