Charts help you visualize numeric data in a graphical format but the problem is there are just too many types of charts to choose from. You have bar charts, bubble charts, pie charts, line histograms and so on.
If you are finding it hard to pick the right chart type for your type of data, this easy flow chart (available as PDF and JPG) courtesy Andrew Abela should help you make the decision quickly. Start from the center and take the route that best matches your data. Thanks Chris Lyons.
You may also want to check out Chart Chooser – an online tools that lets you shortlist charts visually. Chart Chooser is not as detailed as the above chart suggestion flowchart but the advantage is that it lets you download different chart types in a format that is ready to use inside Excel or Microsoft PowerPoint.
Related: Create Graphs Online with Google Charts
Find this article at: http://www.labnol.org/software/find-right-chart-type-for-your-data/6523/
Reader Comments
Hi Amit,
you might also be interested in the periodic table of visualization methods:
link
Written by Eyal Sela on 01.14.09
Thanks Man,
This is what i needed to choose stuff for my blog thinkinglittle.blogspot.com. Many times it was difficult to decide which chart to use, but this will surely reduce my time.
thanks Harpreet singh.
Written by harpreet on 01.14.09