Ordered column chart
Description
An ordered column chart is a chart in which each category is represented by a vertical rectangle, with the height of the rectangle being ordered and proportional to the values being plotted.
When to use
An ordered column is widely used to display the rank of each category being plotted. It’s an alternative to the ordered column chart when the category name is long.
Dos and donts
Order values in descending order.
Always start with a zero baseline.
Use consistent colours throughout the chart, accent colours can be used to highlight meaningful data points.
Space between bars should be roughly half of the bar width.
- Use horizontal labels to improve readability.
Tools available
MS Office Power BI Illustrator R Python
Ordered bar chart
Description
An ordered bar chart is a chart in which each category is represented by a horizontal rectangle, with the length of the rectangle being ordered and proportional to the values being plotted.
When to use
An ordered bar is widely used to display the rank of each category being plotted.
Dos and donts
Order values in descending order.
Always start with a zero baseline.
Use consistent colours throughout the chart, accent colours can be used to highlight meaningful data points.
Space between bars should be roughly half of the bar width.
- Use horizontal labels to improve readability.
Tools available
MS Office Power BI Illustrator R Python
Lollipop chart
Description
As a variant of the bar/column chart, the lollipop chart consists of lines and dots at the end to highlight the values. Like a bar chart, a lollipop chart is used to compare categorical data.
When to use
A lollipop chart is used when there is a large number of categorical data to show and compare. It can be used as an alternative to bar/column charts. It should be used only when the fine difference between values is not important. This is because the exact value is at the middle of the dot which can be difficult to identify.
Dos and donts
Order values in descending order.
Always start with a zero baseline.
Use consistent colours throughout the chart, using accent colours to highlight meaningful data points.
Use a horizontal lollipop chart when the category name is long.
Tools available
Power BI Illustrator R Python
Slope chart
Description
A slope chart looks like a line chart, but unlike the line chart, it has only two data points for each line. The change of two data points can be easily identified with those connected lines (slope up means increase, slope down means decrease).
When to use
Slope charts can be used to show a change in a ‘before and after’ story by comparing their values at different points in time. It is a great way to show change or difference when there are only two data points. It works well with both continuous data and categorical data.
Dos and donts
Don’t plot too many data series, especially if similar values and slopes make it difficult to read.
Use consistent colours throughout the chart, using accent colours to highlight meaningful data points.