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A better approach to choosing a chart
User test to see if your message is understood
One of the most challenging parts of turning data into a visualization is figuring out what chart to use.
There are tools out there, such as the Chart Chooser, which break down the type of chart you should base on what variables you have.
But that’s only part of the equation.
According to Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, author of Storytelling with Data, the answer to the question “What chart should I choose?” should always be whatever is easiest for my audience to read.
Here’s how to figure that out.
PEER AT the data
Whether you realize it or not, by designing the user studies, talking with users, and collecting and analyzing data, you’ve slowly become ‘the expert’ when it comes to the data.
To put it in perspective, if people wanted to ask questions about the data, it’s very likely they would turn to you.
That means that you should know the type of role you want the data to take.
That’s where you can consider an acronym created by Hunter Whitney, Design Strategist, and Author of Data Insights: PEER AT.
The acronym stands for some of the most common roles data may play, such as:
Prompting people to Attention or Action
Exploring patterns, trends, and anomalies in the data
Explaining interesting features in the data to others using visual indicators
Relating different types of data using different techniques to connect the dots
