How to choose the right data visualization

The flowchart below will help you when choosing a visualization to display on a TV dashboard in your office. Take time to assess what data you have and then follow the questions in the flowchart to determine how to most effectively visualize your data.

The process begins by asking whether you have one type of data (i.e. a single row or column of text or numbers) or two types of data (i.e. multiple rows or columns of text and/or data such as revenue and dates or sales rep and closed revenue).

If you have one type of data

For when you have, for example, a single row or column of text or numbers.

Question 1: Does your data contain either a date or string (text)?

 Yes

Go to Question 2

 No, it contains a number

Go to Question 3

Question 2: Do you have a list (multiple lines of text)?

 Yes

Try a List

 No

Go to Question 3

Question 3: Do you want to show your number within a range (i.e. minimum and maximum values for the number)?

 Yes

Try a Gauge

 No

Try a Number Widget

If you have two types of data

For when you have, for example, multiple rows or columns of text and/or data such as sales rep and closed revenue.

Question 1 – Does your X-axis contain dates/date-time values?

 Yes

Go to Question 2

 No, it contains categories/text

Go to Question 4

Question 2 – Do you want to show multi-series (multiple sets of data on the same graph)?

 Yes

Try a Line Chart

 No

Go to Question 3

Question 3 – Do you want to focus on the trends between the values?

 Yes

Try a Line Chart

 No

Try a Column Chart

Question 4 – Is this ranked data?

 Yes

Try a Leaderboard

 No

Go to Question 5

Question 5 – Do your Y-axis values contain negative numbers?

 Yes

Try a Bar Chart

 No

Go to Question 6

Question 6 – Are you comparing many items?

 Yes

Try a Bar Chart

 No

Try a Column Chart