How to Master Data Visualization

A few rules of thumb for designing with charts and graphs

Illustrations courtesy of the author

You’ve got a credible statistic or two, and you’re ready to share that information with your audience. Do you write it out? Draw a picture? Use a chart? To make sure your audience understands and retains the information, it needs to be compelling and accurate.

But the choice of what type of visualization to use isn’t purely aesthetic, nor is it entirely personal. The wrong choice can lead your viewer to boredom, confusion, or both. Even worse, visualizing data inaccurately can constitute a breach of trust between you and your audience.

So let’s take a look at how to choose the most accurate and engaging way to visualize your data.

Bar graphs

For data sets that evolve over time or are grouped by multiple categories—like different industries or foods—or both, a bar graph is a solid choice. A few tips will help ensure your bar graph is easy to read:

• Order your bars chronologically.
• Use one axis to label the time frames, and use the other to label the quantities.