![\"Click](\"https:\/\/content-cdn.one.lumenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2023\/09\/01205441\/5.3.4.L.Diagram-1.png\")
<\/a> Figure 1. What type of visual aid should I use?[\/caption]\r\n\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"768445\"]Click to show a text-only version of Figure 1.[\/reveal-answer]
\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"768445\"]<\/p>\r\n
So you need to make a chart! For each type of chart we\u2019ve discussed, we\u2019ll lay out some questions. If you answer yes to all of them, then you should use that type of chart.<\/p>\r\n
Bar graphs<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following questions, then you should use a bar graph to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Is your data primarily numerical?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Are you comparing categories?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Is it okay that your chart doesn\u2019t show a trend?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Line graphs<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following questions, then you should use a line graph to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Is your data primarily numerical?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Are you comparing categories?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Do you need to show a trend?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Pie charts<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following questions, then you should use a pie chart to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Is your data primarily numerical?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Are you showing pieces of a whole?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Stacked bar graphs<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following questions, then you should use a stacked bar graph to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Is your data primarily numerical?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Are you comparing categories\u00a0and<\/strong>\u00a0showing pieces of a whole?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Is it okay that your chart doesn\u2019t show a trend?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Stacked line graphs<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following questions, then you should use a stacked line graph to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Is your data primarily numerical?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Are you comparing categories\u00a0and<\/strong>\u00a0showing pieces of a whole?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Do you need to show a trend?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Venn diagrams<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following questions, then you should use a Venn diagram to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Is your data primarily non-numerical (words)?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Are you comparing categories?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Flow charts<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following questions, then you should use a flow chart to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Is your data primarily non-numerical (words)?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Are you showing a process?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Is it okay that you aren\u2019t showing the passage of time?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Gantt charts<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following questions, then you should use a Gantt chart to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Is your data primarily non-numerical (words)?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Are you showing a process?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Do you need to show the passage of time?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Organizational charts<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following questions, then you should use an organizational chart to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Is your data primarily non-numerical (words)?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Are you trying to show a hierarchy?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Pictographs<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following questions, then you should use a pictograph to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Is your data primarily non-numerical (words)?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Are you trying to communicate a simple idea?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Infographics<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following questions, then you should use an infographic to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Is your data primarily non-numerical (words)?<\/li>\r\n\t
- Are you trying to communicate a complex idea?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Tables<\/h3>\r\n
If you answer yes to the following question, then you should use a table to display your data:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Do you have both numerical and non-numerical data?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
[\/hidden-answer]<\/p>\r\n
Placement, Style, and Coloring<\/h2>\r\n
Once you\u2019ve decided what graph or chart to use, we need to make sure it fits with our visual media usage standards. \u00a0It needs to make your message more accessible by being:<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Clean and simple<\/li>\r\n\t
- Uniform<\/li>\r\n\t
- Persuasive<\/li>\r\n\t
- On brand<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Let\u2019s build a pie chart and apply each of these standards to it as we go along.<\/p>\r\n
Say you want to give a quarter bonus to the best member of each department, and you have settled on giving a $50 gift card to a movie theater. You have surveyed the company to determine which local cinemas are used by your employees to see movies. You have decided to make a pie chart from the results because you\u2019re looking to show the composition of your employees and their movie-going preferences.<\/p>\r\n
At the moment, your pie chart looks like this:<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_6335\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"700\"]
![\"A](\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2785\/2018\/06\/05221116\/movies_1.jpg\")
Figure 2. Which employees attend which theaters?[\/caption]\r\n\r\nFigure 2 is definitely not<\/strong> clean and simple. There is so much to look at here that it\u2019s hard to see anything. No one will find this useful. In fact, a rule of thumb for pie charts is that if you have more than ten categories, you should present the information differently. There\u2019s a variation called an exploding pie chart<\/a> that emphasizes certain sections by pulling them out of the main pie.<\/p>\r\n
So how do we simplify the data? To begin with, we need to narrow down the categories. In this case, you could display theaters by company, rather than location, since all theaters of the same company will take the same gift card. Let's take a look at how the revised chart would look in Figure 2:<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3912\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"900\"]
![\"A](\"https:\/\/content-cdn.one.lumenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2023\/09\/01210207\/5.3.4.Pie1_.png\")
Figure 3. Which employees attend which theaters (by company)?[\/caption]\r\n\r\nNow we\u2019re getting somewhere! This is a much easier chart to read. We can see at a glance that nearly half of our employees go to a movie theater owned by AAA, and smaller portions see films at the BBB and CCC theaters. This information has become way more accessible for the reader.<\/p>\r\n
We\u2019ve also chosen some bold, pleasing colors here. We can clearly tell what part of the pie belongs to BBB and what part belongs to the others. This is clean and simple!<\/p>\r\n
Once we\u2019ve achieved that, we must make it uniform. Do the rest of your charts, tables, and graphs use the same bold, pleasing colors we use here? Have we chosen the same font size for our chart key? If the answer is yes, we can move on. We know that we are sharing information without distracting the reader.<\/p>\r\n
Now we ask ourselves, is this data persuasive? Well, that depends on the story you\u2019re looking to tell. In this case, your best option is to purchase gift cards for AAA theaters because that is what your data is telling since most of your employees enjoy seeing movies there. So let\u2019s give this a title:<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3913\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"900\"]
![\"The](\"https:\/\/content-cdn.one.lumenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2023\/09\/01210728\/5.3.4.Pie2_.png\")
Figure 4: Your completed pie chart[\/caption]\r\n\r\nFigure 4 is a bit more persuasive. This immediately tells the reader \u201cAAA Complexes are our employees\u2019 favorite movie theater.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
Now, is your chart on brand? If your company\u2019s palette of colors includes blue, red, yellow, and green, then yes! We are on brand. If your company uses different colors, go ahead and change them. A lot of companies have very specific color requirements, even for internal projects, so be sure to look out for your company's style requirements! For this project, it\u2019s as easy as that.<\/p>\r\n
You\u2019ve made the point of this communication very easy and accessible by making these changes and following our standards of visual media communication!<\/p>\r\n
\r\n Coolors<\/a> is a website that can help you choose colors that complement each other.<\/p>\r\n<\/section>\r\n
\r\n [ohm2_question height=\"500\"]14742[\/ohm2_question]<\/p>\r\n<\/section>","rendered":"
Matching Graphics to Objectives<\/h2>\n
It can be difficult to determine what graph or chart to use when. Some are for numbers, some are for words\u2026 So many charts, so little time!<\/p>\n
The flow chart in Figure 1 can help you in choosing the right kind of chart or graph to support your message.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Figure 1. What type of visual aid should I use?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
- Do you have both numerical and non-numerical data?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
- Do you need to show a trend?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
- Is it okay that your chart doesn\u2019t show a trend?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n