Data

Visualization
Guide
For Impactful Storytelling
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DATA VISUALIZATION:

Who Doesn’t Love A Good Story? But Did You Know Even Boring
Rows And Columns Can Convey A Beautiful Story?
That's where the magic of data visualization comes into play.

Data visualization is the process of converting raw information (text, numbers,

or symbols) into a graphical format.

Raw Data Dashboard

Data visualization aids in conveying insights clearly to stakeholders. Therefore,

selecting the right visual is crucial in conveying the correct insights.
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WHAT IS EFFECTIVE VISUALIZATION,

AND WHY DO WE NEED IT?

“ Why can't we use

the same chart

”
every time?

Let's u nderstand through a simple analogy:

Consider the following questions:
When you go to school, what type of dress do you wear?
When you go to a party, what type of dress do you wear?
When you go to the temple, what type of dress do you wear?

The type of dress you wear changes according to the occasion, right? Similarly,
based on the insights we want to display, the visuals we use vary.
The practice of using appropriate visuals to convey insights easily and
accurately to stakeholders is called effective visualization.
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KEY CHARTS IN DATA VISUALIZATION AND

THEIR FUNCTIONS:

Bar and Column:

A bar chart represents categorical data with rectangular bars, their heights
being proportional to the values displayed.

Best for: Comparing values across different categories or groups.

Types of Bar charts:

Vertical / Column Chart:

Use vertical charts for small data labels.

100

75

50

25

0
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7
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Horizontal / Bar Chart:

Use horizontal charts to fit long data labels.

Saturday

Friday

Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Monday

0 25 50 75 100

Clustered Column Chart:

Used to compare multiple data series within the same category.

100
Profit
Discount

75

50

25

0
P1 P2 P3
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Clustered Bar Chart:

Similar to a clustered bar chart, it is particularly effective for handling long data
labels that require more horizontal space.

Profit
Discount
Product 1

Product 2

Product 3

0 25 50 75 100

Stacked Column Chart:

Used to show total values and their individual breakdowns simultaneously.

Product A
100
Product B

75

50

25

0
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
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Stacked Bar Chart:

Similar to a stacked bar chart, it is particularly effective for handling long data
labels that require more horizontal space.

Product A
Quarter 1
Product B

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Quarter 4

0 25 50 75 100

Pie Chart:
A pie chart is a circular graph divided into slices to represent the proportional
sizes of different categories within a whole.

Best for: showing the proportions of a whole when you have a small number
of categorical labels (usually less than four).

Team
27% Tigress

53%
Mantis
20%
Viper
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Doughnut Chart:
A variation of the pie chart. Used to compare proportions among different
categories.

Best for: Comparing a segment to the whole, rather than comparing

individual segments among themselves.

Team A

Team B

Ribbon Chart:
A ribbon chart is a variation of a stacked column chart, used to display multiple
series of data as areas stacked on top of each other.

Best for: Showing the composition of a whole over time and the trend
change over the composition.
The Ribbon Chart displays how each data category ranks and changes over
time, which can be difficult to see in a stacked column chart.

Sum Of Sales By Month And Category

12k 12k Category

10k Clothing

9k 10k
Electronics

9k Home goods
7k 6k

Feb Jan Mar

Month
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Line Chart:
A line chart is a type of graph that displays information as a series of data
points connected by straight line segments.

Best for: Comparing the value of an object over time, or to understand the
trend of values over time.

Total Order Quantity By Month & Product

665k
648k
650k
645k
Product
Total Order Quantity

612k

600k 612k
601k
AM Butter
564k
555k
552k
550k 567k
AM Curd
546k

518k
500k 492k AM Milk
483k

483k 457k
476k
447k
450k

May Jul Aug Apr Jun Mar

Month

Area Chart:
An area chart is similar to a line chart, but the area below the line is filled with
specific colours.

Best for: Drawing attention to the total volume across a trend rather than to
individual values.
Total Deliver Quantity by Month
1645k
1643k
1650k

1628k
Total Order Quantity

1600k
1585k

1565k
1550k

1513k
1500k
Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug

Month
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Line Chart with Bar Charts:

Line graphs are often combined with bar charts to represent data across
multiple dimensions.

Total Deliver Quantity & Undelivered Quantity by Product

4M 3.7M 130k

127.8k 3.2M

Total Undelivered Quantity

125k
3M
Total Order Quantity

2.7M 120k Total Deliver

Quantity
2M 115k
Total Undelivered
110.1k Quantity
110k
1M
105k

100.1k
0M 100k
AM Milk AM Curd AM Butter

Month

Scatter Plot:
A scatter chart plots data points for two variables as dots on a Cartesian plane,
revealing their relationship.

Best for: Illustrating the relationship and correlation between two numerical
variables, identifying trends, patterns, and potential outliers in data sets.
Height

Weight
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Funnel Chart:
A funnel chart is a graphical representation used to visualize the progressive
reduction of data as it passes through phases.

Best for: Showing

narrowing correlations 120
between different groups
Applied

of items. 63
Resume Qualified

38
Initial Approach

24
Interview

8
Hired

Heatmap:
A heatmap is a graphical representation of data where values in a matrix are
represented as colours. It can be used for both numeric data and categorical
data.

Best for: Colour-scaling Plan Jan Feb Mar Apr May J

data to accurately P1 ₹396M ₹503M ₹466M ₹448M ₹536M ₹628M ₹620M ₹603M

represent and convey its

P2 ₹296M ₹503M ₹466M ₹448M ₹536M ₹628M ₹620M ₹603M

nature and insights.

P3 ₹296M ₹349M ₹353M ₹321M ₹304M ₹341M ₹335M ₹317M

P4 ₹243M ₹280M ₹274M ₹278M ₹200M ₹237M ₹229M ₹212M

P5 ₹216M ₹285M ₹258M ₹246M ₹144M ₹172M ₹179M ₹157M

P6 ₹168M ₹197M ₹199M ₹187M ₹109M ₹135M ₹126M ₹125M

P7 ₹123M ₹158M ₹156M ₹146M ₹33M ₹35M ₹45M ₹43M

P8 ₹94M ₹120M ₹111M ₹110M

P9 ₹52M ₹59M ₹57M ₹58M

P10 ₹23M ₹37M ₹34M ₹38M

P11 ₹414M ₹486M ₹478M ₹482M

P12 ₹255M ₹300M ₹306M ₹300M

P13 ₹72M ₹82M ₹82M ₹79M