The document discusses various comparison plots, highlighting the use of line charts for visualizing trends over time and comparing multiple variables. It also explains the application and design practices for bar charts, including the importance of using appropriate scales and avoiding common mistakes. Additionally, it introduces radar charts for comparing multiple quantitative variables and emphasizes clarity in data presentation.

1. C
om
parisonplotsincludecharts
that areideal for com
paring
multiplevariables or variables over
time.
COMPARI SI ON PLOTS

2. LI NE CHART
great for visualizingvariablesover tim
e
Line charts are used to display
quantitative values over a
continuous time period and show
information as a series. A line chart is
ideal for a time series that is
connected by straight-line segments

3. LINE C
H
ART
Line charts are great for
comparing multiple variables
and visualizing trends for both
single as well as multiple
variables
For smaller time periods, vertical
bar charts might be the better
choice
USES

4. trendof real estatepricesacrosstwodecades
EXAMPLES

5. comparesthe stock-closingprices
for G
oogle,Facebook,Apple,
Am
azon,andMicrosoft.Aline
chart isgreat for com
paring
valuesandvisualizingthetrendof
thestock.Aswecansee,Am
azon
showsthehighest growth
MULTI VARI ABLE LI NE CHART

6. Avoid too many lines per
chart.
Adjust your scale so that the
trend is clearly visible
DESI GN PRACTI CES

7. Ina bar chart,thebar lengthencodes
thevalue.
T
herearetwovariantsof bar charts:
vertical bar charts
horizontal bar charts
BAR CHART

8. DONT’S: Another common mistake is to use
bar charts to show central tendencies among
groups or categories. Use box plots or violin
plots to show statistical measures or
distributions in these cases.
USE: Whilethey are bothusedtocomparenumericalvaluesacrosscategories,
vertical bar charts are sometimesusedto showa singlevariable over time
DONT’S: Don't confuse vertical bar
charts with histograms. Bar charts
compare different variables or categories,
while histograms show the distribution for
a single variable. Histograms will be
discussed later in this chapter.
DONT’S AND USE OF BAR CHART

9. 1
00 that 5studentsobtainedina test:
EXAMPLES
Thefollowingdiagramshowsa vertical bar chart. Each bar showsthe marksoutof

10. scores.
EXAMPLE
Thefollowingdiagramcomparesmovieratings,givingtwo different

11. Theaxiscorrespondingtothe numericalvariable shouldstart at zero.
Starting with anothervalue mightbemisleading,asit makesa small
valuedifferencelooklikea bigone.
Usehorizontal labels—thatis,aslongasthe numberof barsissmall,and
thechart doesn't looktoocluttered.•
Thelabelscanberotated todifferent anglesif there isn'tenoughspace
to presentthemhorizontally.Youcanseethisonthe labelsof the x-axis
of theprecedingdiagram
DESI GN PRACTI CES

12. Radar chart s (also known as spider or
web charts) visualize multiple variables
wit h each variable plot t ed on it s own axis,
result ing in a polygon.All axes are
arranged radially, starting at the center
with equal distances between one
another, and have the same scale
RADAR CHART

13. USES
Radar charts are great for
comparing multiple quantitative
variables for a single group or
multiple groups.
They are also useful for showing
which variables score high or low
within a dataset, making them ideal
for visualizing performance.

14. EXAMPLES
RAD
ARC
H
ARTFO
RSING
LE VARIABLE
This chart displays
data about a student
scoring marks in
different subjects:

15. RAD
ARC
H
ARTFO
RD
O
UBLE VARIABLE
Here, the chart explains the marks
that were scored by two students in
different subjects:
EXAMPLES

16. DESI GN PRACTI CES
Use faceting (displaying each variable
in a separate plot) for multiple
variables/ groups, as shown in the
preceding diagram, in order to maintain
clarity
Try to display 1
0 factors or fewer on a
single radar chart to make it easier to
read.