Bar, Bubble, or Donut? - Tableau Conference 2018 · Bar, Bubble, or Donut? A process for choosing the right chart type #TC18 Melinda Lee Associate Analytics Consultant Tableau

Bar, Bubble, or Donut?A process for choosing the right chart type

# T C 1 8

Melinda Lee

Associate Analytics Consultant

Tableau

About Me

1. Issue

2. Objectives

3. Design Process

4. Review Chart Options

5. Practice

6. Q&A

Agenda

What’s the Issue?

Too many options“Which one do I choose?”

Request for something “pretty”“What will look the coolest?”

Doesn’t answer the question“Does this help me tell the story I want to?”

My Cheat Sheet

Design Process

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply

Visual Best Practice

What are my overall sales?

1) Determine your question

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


What are my overall sales?

So what?

Why is this important?

What action do you want your audience

to take with this information?


Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


1) Determine Question

What is the trend of my overall sales?

How much does each product contribute

to overall sales?

Have I met my target for overall sales?

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


2) Identify Purpose

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


What is the trend of my overall sales?


to overall sales?

Have I met my target for overall sales?

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


2) Identify Purpose

What is the trend of my overall sales? Time


to overall sales?

Compare Parts

to Whole

Have I met my target for overall sales? Compare

Measures

2) Identify Purpose

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Specific Values Compare Rank

Correlation Compare Parts to Whole

Time Distribution

Compare Measures Mapping

Design Process

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Let’s do this together!


What is the average beignet consumption of a Tableau Conference attendee?

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


So what?

Why is this important?

What action do you want your audience

to take with this information?


What is the average beignet consumption of a Tableau Conference attendee?

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


1) Determine Question

What is the spread of the number of

beignets consumed?

Does the # of beignets consumed relate

to the # of times an attendee has been to

New Orleans before?

Were most of these beignets consumed

at Café Du Monde?

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


2) Identify Purpose


beignets consumed?



New Orleans before?


at Café Du Monde?

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


2) Identify Purpose

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply



beignets consumed?



New Orleans before?


at Café Du Monde?

2) Identify Purpose

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply



beignets consumed?

Distribution



New Orleans before?

Correlation


at Café Du Monde?

Mapping

Design Process

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Your turn! With a neighbor.

3) Select Chart—Which Ones Do You Recognize?

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


3) Select Chart

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


3) Select Chart

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Specific Values

Tips:

✓ Add shape and/or color for an easy visual

✓ Consider removing labels from highlight table

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Correlation

Tips:

✓ Add a dimension onto color for further analysis

✓ Add another measure onto size

✓ Reduce transparency and add a borderDetermine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Compare Measures

Tips:

✓ Add color to indicate if above/below target

✓ Consider using color to incentive vs. penalize

✓ Add a third bar for additional analysis

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Trend over Time

Tips:

✓ Focus on one time trend and use other visualizations on dashboard as interactive filters

✓ Make sure labels are horizontal, not vertical

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Compare Rank

Tips:

✓ Sort descending and make bars horizontal

✓ Only use packed bubble charts with a small amount of bubbles or with large variations in size

✓ Use a bump chart if specific values are not importantDetermine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Compare Parts to Whole

Tips:

✓ Use Pies and Donuts if 2 or less dimensions

✓ Use Stacked Bars with 3 or less dimensions

✓ Use Treemaps with 4+ dimensionsDetermine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Distribution

Tips:

✓ Hide the underlying dots in the box plot to see outliers

✓ Make circles transparent and add borders in dot plot

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Mapping

Tips:

✓ Make dots transparent and add border

✓ Consider a Hex Map to normalize size

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Design Process

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Let’s do this together!

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


3) Select Chart

What are my overall sales? Specific Values

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


3) Select Chart

Is there seasonality to my sales? Time

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


3) Select Chart

How much does each product

contribute to overall sales? (3)

Compare Parts

to Whole

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


3) Select Chart

Have I met my target for overall sales? Compare

Measures

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


3) Select Chart

Who are the top 5 consumers of beignets? Compare

Rank

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


3) Select Chart

Do I have any outliers outside of my

spread of normal distribution of

beignet consumption?

Distribution

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


3) Select Chart



New Orleans before? Does this also

correlate with # of beignets consumed in

one sitting?

Correlation

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


3) Select Chart

Were most of these beignets

consumed at Café Du Monde?

Mapping

Design Process

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


Your turn! With a neighbor.

Cheat Sheet

So how do I put these onto a dashboard?

• Iterate

• Use one chart per dimension and turn on interactive filters

• Consider using different chart types on dashboard to break up monotony

Determine Question

Identify Purpose

Select ChartApply


More Resources

Which chart or graph is right for you?:https://www.tableau.com/learn/whitepapers/which-chart-or-graph-is-right-for-youVisual Vocabulary:

https://public.tableau.com/en-us/s/gallery/visual-vocabulary?gallery=votd

How to Choose the Right Chart for your Data: https://infogram.com/page/choose-the-right-chart-data-visualization20 Ways to Visualize KPIs:http://duelingdata.blogspot.com/2018/06/var-divelement-document_7.html

https://www.tableau.com/learn/whitepapers/which-chart-or-graph-is-right-for-you

https://public.tableau.com/en-us/s/gallery/visual-vocabulary?gallery=votd

https://infogram.com/page/choose-the-right-chart-data-visualization

http://duelingdata.blogspot.com/2018/06/var-divelement-document_7.html

Make your Mark | Going Beyond Bars and Lines

R E L AT E D S E S S I O N S

Tues Oct 23 | 2:15 – 3:15pm | MCCNO – L2 – New Orleans Theater A

Thurs Oct 25 | 10:45-11:45am | MCCNO – L2 - 291

Tableau Speed Charting | 50 charts in 50 minutes

Tues Oct 23 | 4:00 – 5:00pm | MCCNO – L2 – La Nouvelle Ballroom B

Tableau Speed Tipping | Can They Reach 100 tips?

Thurs Oct 25 | 10:45 – 11:45am | MCCNO – L2 – La Nouvelle Ballroom B

Questions?

Please complete the

session survey from the

Session Details screen

in your TC18 app

Thank you!

#TC18

Melinda Lee

Twitter: @melinda-g-lee

Documents

Bar, Bubble, or Donut? - Tableau Conference 2018 · Bar, Bubble, or Donut? A process for choosing the right chart type #TC18 Melinda Lee Associate Analytics Consultant Tableau