100
50
With A
Bonus
Chart S
election
Tool
75
50
25
40
20
30
15
20
10
10
25
5
0
Item 1
Item 2
Item 3
Item 4
Item 5
0
HOW T
O
CHART PICK THE RIG
, THE F
HT
IRST TI
ME.
0
The Winning
Data Visualization Checklist
Good
Average
Poor
9.4%
%
28.3
"If you can't explain it simply,
you don't understand it well
enough."
- ALBERT EINSTEIN
WHO AM I AND WHAT DO I DO?
My name is Elizabeth Clarke, and I am a social media and marketing
manager in charge of brand strategy. I am an avid believer in the
importance of data storytelling and how it can grow your brand in the next
decade. With many years of experience scaling brands, I have gained a
deep passion for data visualization, and my favorite part about my career is
analyzing the numbers, spotting important insights, and interpreting them
effectively to drive growth.
Chart Selection Tool
50
25
40
20
30
15
20
10
10
5
0
0
Bar Graph/Stacked bar
25
Scatter plot/Bubble
chart/Strip plot
250
20
200
15
150
Line Graph
40
Pie Chart
Item 4
11.5%
Item 5
2.3%
0
2
Distrubution
Yes
Parts of a whole
Ranking
0
0
10
20
30
0
25
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Comparison
Yes
Yes
No
Difference
Yes
Yes
Yes
Geo
No
Yes
Yes
General Comparison
Yes
Yes
No
Values Over Time
Yes
Yes
Yes
Values that represent a portion
of a whole (Ex. Individual
products relative to total sales)
Ordered by size (descending or
ascending)
Determining relationship
between two sets of values
Distinction between two sets
of value (Ex. Distinction
between projections and
actual sales)
Location based values
displayed on a map
Basic comparison of values for
unordered items
How values changed over time
(Ex. Quarterly, Monthly, etc.)
Use vertical bar graph
Strip plot
Scatter plot
Use bubble chart with various
sizes
50
1
Yes
Counts of value from lowest to
highest
75
Item 2
5.7%
10
50
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5
100
30
100
5
125
3
Item 1
23%
20
10
Stacked area
chart/Overlapping area chart
Histogram
To showcase trends and
patterns
0
Item 3
57.5%
0
5
10
15
20
0
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Only if data has significantly
different values. Pie charts that
represent similar data is hard to
interpret (pieces are too similar)
No
Overlapping area chart
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
As long as their is a big
difference to showcase between
values
Trends
Of course, we are only scraping the surface
with these six charts, but I believe these are
some of the most valuable ones everyone
should be utilizing. Keeping it simple and clear
is essential to getting your point across. These
charts are great for that. Once you've got these
down, try expanding into others such as a
treemap, flow chart, multi-series chart, and
anything else you stumble upon! Visualizing
data is a never-ending art. Get creative!
Data Visualization Checklist
Good
Average
Poor
TEXT
Graphs should contain
minimal,
yet effective text.
DATA VISUALIZATION
CHECKLIST
GUIDE
Good
Average
Poor
Subtitle or explanatory text providing additional information
Use your subtitle or any extra explanatory text to highlight key points of
the data. What point exactly are you trying to get across? Make sure it is
easily understood.
Good
Average
Poor
Refrain from any vertical text
Always have labeling text vertical. If data labels on your X-Axis are too
long, on a bar chart, for example, then slant them slightly. A slanted label
is easier to read and looks cleaner than a cluttered one or a vertical one.
Good
Average
Poor
Use of appropriate text size
Titles should be bigger than the subtitle, and the subtitle should be
bigger than axis labels, and axis labels bigger than data information.
Good
Average
Poor
Keep text where it needs to be
Refrain from having information scattered in separate legends or away
from the chart. Keep the data near the visual element that's representing
it. The more the listener has to look around the page, the more confused
they will get.
Good
Average
Poor
Short, concise yet informative title centered above the visual
The title is the introduction to your chart, and it should let the audience
easily understand the key ideas in the chart and what data it's
representing. Ex. Monthly Revenue From training course (2020)(in USD)
LINES
A thick border, gridlines, or any extra
unneeded line adds clutter to the graph and
should be eliminated unless necessary.
GUIDE
Good
Average
Poor
Gridlines should be minimal
Gridlines should be faint gray, nothing darker. Even eliminated if possible.
They should never be used if there are extra data points in the chart.
Remove tick marks on X, Y-axis
Remove any tick marks beside values on both axis'. It adds unnecessary
clutter.
Good
Average
Poor
Eliminate borders
A chart should not have a border. It should have a smooth flow into the
surrounding area.
Good
Average
Poor
COLOR
Be intentional with your color and keep it
clean and aesthetic. How does it relate to
the data? Familiarize yourself with
Qualitative, sequential, and diverging color
palettes.
GUIDE
Good
Average
Poor
Consider what colours will grab attention
What colors in your chosen palette draw the most attention? Use these
for the key points of information. Irrelevant data should be muted with
either grey or the least memorable color in the palette you are using.
Be strategic with your theme
Try and represent the company's color scheme in your visual. People like
seeing something familiar. Or consider what the data shows. Has there
been considerable growth, and you want to highlight the projection for
the next quarter? Use a soft green palette to show you're in the right
direction. Is your color scheme in line with your story?
Good
Average
Poor
Consider how colors will be viewed in different forms
Will the theme look just as good on a smartphone as it will on a
projector? How about when printed in black and white? Will contrast
differences still be able to be seen? Possibly consider colorblindness.
About 10% of people have some form of colorblindness. Be sure your
color caters to everyone.
Good
Average
Poor
Legible text
Make sure text color and background color arent too similar. You want to
read the text easily, and you don't want any key points getting lost in a
sea of matching colors.
Good
Average
Poor
ORGANIZATION
Having unorganized/disproportionate graph
elements can be misleading and confusing
for the viewer.
GUIDE
Good
Average
Poor
Intentional order of data
Be intentional with the order that the data is being delivered in. Does it
make sense for the interpretation of it? (Ex. groupings or bins, time
period, greatest to lease) Think about how it will be read and what order
makes the most sense.
Proportions make sense
On a bar chart, if two stacks have a 10% difference in their figure, then
one should not be double the size of the other. Make sure everything is
proportionate, and the way you present the data is an accurate
interpretation of what it represents.
Good
Average
Poor
Spacing
All axis intervals should be spaced evenly. All data points should be
spaced proportionately to its figure.
Good
Average
Poor
Free of clutter
The graph is free of any unnecessary design elements. Only use
illustrations if it adds to the story. Random design elements add
unwanted distractions.
Good
Average
Poor
EXECUTION
Graphs properly visualize the important
information and get the desired point across.
GUIDE
Good
Average
Poor
Tell the story
The graph should represent the significant information that is necessary
to get your point across. Are you just presenting random numbers and
facts, or is there a strategic order to your information that inevitably
leads to that "Aha" moment?
Using the right visual
Is the graph you are using the proper way to present the data? Refer to
the Graph Selection Matrix if you are unsure.
Good
Average
Poor
Think about audience
Does your graph properly cater to your audience? Do they need to see
decimal points to get precise information? Make sure the information
presented is properly curated to the audience that will be interpreting it.
Good
Average
Poor
Everything flows together
Do all the points discussed make sense together? The text, color,
organization, graph type, and lines should all flow together to create the
story and have the desired outcome. You can do all the individual
elements properly, but it won't have the impact you desire if it doesn't
flow together.
Good
Average
Poor
THANK YOU
We hope you found these tools
useful, and we encourage you to use
them on your next project!
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