Graphic Representation of Data Use graphs and charts to represent the relationships in quantitative information Use a graph type based on the type of relationship Types of relationships Nominal comparison Deviation Distribution Correlation Time series Ranking Part-to-whole Nominal comparison Bar graphs work really well for this type of relationship; especially if the scale is large and to highlight the differences between the values With a large set of data replace the bars with simple data points, known as a dot plot Time series The most common graphs to show time series are lines (with continuous data) and vertical bars (with discrete data). Dot plots may also be used Always have time measurements along the x-axis (from left to right), with quantitative values plotted along the y-axis Ranking Rankings are all about communicating the ordering—from highest to lowest, or vice versa. Bar graphs (vertical and horizontal) visually rank relationships; use ordering to highlight the highest values (descending order) or the lowest values (ascending order) Part-to-whole Pie charts are the most common graph types used for part-to-whole relationships. A stacked bar chart is also a good option; especially to compare the composition of two separate stacked bars, with the same categorical subdivisions. Line Charts Line charts are very easy to understand, and should be kept that way.
Graphic Representation of Data Use graphs and charts to represent the relationships in quantitative information Use a graph type based on the type of relationship Types of relationships Nominal comparison Deviation Distribution Correlation Time series Ranking Part-to-whole Nominal comparison Bar graphs work really well for this type of relationship; especially if the scale is large and to highlight the differences between the values With a large set of data replace the bars with simple data points, known as a dot plot Time series The most common graphs to show time series are lines (with continuous data) and vertical bars (with discrete data). Dot plots may also be used Always have time measurements along the x-axis (from left to right), with quantitative values plotted along the y-axis Ranking Rankings are all about communicating the ordering—from highest to lowest, or vice versa. Bar graphs (vertical and horizontal) visually rank relationships; use ordering to highlight the highest values (descending order) or the lowest values (ascending order) Part-to-whole Pie charts are the most common graph types used for part-to-whole relationships. A stacked bar chart is also a good option; especially to compare the composition of two separate stacked bars, with the same categorical subdivisions. Line Charts Line charts are very easy to understand, and should be kept that way.