How to Choose the Right Chart

Crosstab

View two dimensions at once through rows and columns

Four common variants

Basic crosstab, heatmap, symbol table, advanced crosstab

Best for

When readers need exact numbers and patterns, e.g. region × product sales.

Common mistake

Too many cells in one color forces cell-by-cell reading. Use heatmap shading to surface what matters.

Pie chart

Show how each item contributes to the whole

Four common variants

Basic pie, donut, sunburst, gauge pie

Best for

Few categories (ideally 5 or fewer) that add up to a meaningful 100%, like market share.

Common mistake

With many or similar slices, angles are hard to compare — a bar chart is clearer.

Line chart

Capture how data changes over time

Four common variants

Basic line, trend line, combo, control chart

Best for

The x-axis is continuous time and you want trends, seasonality or outliers. Control charts flag points beyond limits.

Common mistake

Connecting unordered categories (like cities) with a line implies a trend that isn’t there.

Gauge chart

Visualize a single value from different angles

Four common variants

Basic gauge, radial gauge, waffle, advanced waffle

Best for

When one ratio or completion rate is the message, e.g. KPI progress or a gender ratio.

Common mistake

Dozens of gauges become noise; for many items use a sorted bar chart.

Real example

Combo charts

Combine shapes to explain richer stories

Four common variants

Bump chart, dumbbell, bullet-style bar, slope (meteor) chart

Best for

Bump for rank changes, dumbbell for gaps between two points in time, combined bars for actual vs target, meteor for direction of change.

Common mistake

Combo charts are dense — always add clear legends and labels.