Choosing the right chart

Beginners pick a chart they like. Pros start from the question and let it choose the chart. Here’s the system you’ll reuse for the rest of your career.

Step 1 — name what you’re trying to show

Almost every business question is one of five intents. Name the intent first:

• Compare — which is biggest? → bar chart
• Trend — how is it changing over time? → line chart
• Composition — what are the parts of a whole? → donut or stacked bar
• Relationship — do two things move together? → scatter plot
• Distribution — how is one number spread? → histogram or heatmap

Step 2 — when in doubt, default to a bar

The sorted bar chart is the most readable chart there is. If you’re unsure, a bar is almost never wrong. Fancy is not the same as clear.