Present Beyond Measure

23Choose the Right Chart

“He chose…poorly.”

—The Grail Knight, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Now that you've learned about the PICA Protocol in its entirety, this chapter revisits and expands on the crux of the PURPOSE step: choosing the right chart for your data and story. Choosing well starts by understanding this: your data visualization platform does not know which chart is most appropriate for your data and purpose.

Sure, there are algorithms that help you narrow down your best options in certain tools like Tableau. But even so, you must make the final judgment call on which to choose. Chart selection, like any other analytical skill, is cultivated through diligent learning, practice, and optimization.

The increasing glut of chart options certainly doesn't help. Data communicators are utterly overwhelmed with the paradox of choice. I know of at least six charts that show composition! And yet, I believe that there are usually just one or two most appropriate choices for the type of data you're working with and for the message you're trying to convey.

The kicker to this paradox of choice is that with the proliferation of chart types, the ratio of effective charts to ineffective charts is dwindling. Not all charts are created equal when it comes to facilitating clarity and comprehension. Before you start pulling the curtain back on your Marimekko and nautilus charts during next week's executive readout, consider the effect of Figure 23.1 on an audience completely ...