Bar Charts
Bar charts are used to compare the relationship of a data set against two measurements or points of interest, illustrated along horizontal and vertical axes (x-axis and y-axis).
Vertical Bar Chart Example
Bar charts are used to compare the relationship of a data set against two measurements or points of interest, illustrated along horizontal and vertical axes (x-axis and y-axis).
When to Use
- Bar charts are best used to represent data that falls into categories.
- Use to illustrate categories against two measurements (for example, sales volume across customer segments).
When Not to Use
- When illustrating trends and fluctuations over time, consider a line graph.
Variations
- Vertical Bar Charts (shown above)
- Horizontal Bar Charts
- Stacked Bar Charts
Variations
Horizontal Bar Charts
Vertically-oriented bars are preferred. Use horizontal bars only when it is not possible to fit labels within the space afforded by a vertical bar chart.
Stacked Bar Charts
Stacked bar charts build separate data points upon each other. Rather than displaying data next to each other as separate bars, these data measurements are placed on top of one another to illustrate the portion within a larger whole.
