Credit: Screenshot of the 'Essentials' chart choosing resource.
Data visualisations can pack a lot of information into one element of a story, helping you effectively illustrate long-term trends, percentages or other comparisons.
But using the wrong type of chart for your data can result in misrepresented numbers and misleading your audience.
To make it easier to find the best way of illustrating data sets based on intention, data viz consultant Ann K. Emery created the 'essential chart-choosing tool'.
Users can filter all the possible options by selecting what they want to illustrate, like patterns over time, or the tool they are using – there's a 'do-able in Excel' filter as well.
Once you click on a chart, the resource also includes links to examples where this particular visualisation has been used.
"I have no plans to add every single chart type known to mankind. I want to focus attention on the charts that give you the best bang for your buck – the essentials," Emery wrote in the introduction post.
Free daily newsletter
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
