Chart Type Selection Guide
Run the Chart Type Selection Guide Fullscreen
About This MicroSim
This interactive decision tree helps learners differentiate between chart types by walking through a series of guided questions about their data and communication goals. Rather than memorizing a chart selection table, learners analyze their specific visualization needs step by step.
The decision tree starts with a high-level goal question ("What is your primary visualization goal?") and branches into progressively more specific follow-ups. Each path through the tree ends with a recommended chart type, displayed in the preview panel with a description, mini chart preview, and the path that led to the recommendation.
How to Use
- Read the highlighted question on the left panel
- Click the answer that best describes your data or goal
- Follow the branching path — your previous answers appear in green
- Review the recommended chart type in the right panel with its description and preview
- Reset to try a different path, or use Try a Scenario to see a pre-built example animate through the tree
Decision Tree Structure
| Goal | Follow-up | Recommended Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Compare values | 2-7 categories, no sub-groups | Bar Chart |
| Compare values | 2-7 categories, with sub-groups | Stacked Bar Chart |
| Compare values | 8+ categories | Horizontal Bar Chart |
| Show trends | 1-3 series, line only | Line Chart |
| Show trends | 1-3 series, emphasize volume | Area Chart |
| Show trends | 4+ series (overview) | Sparkline |
| Show proportions | 2-5 segments | Pie Chart |
| Show proportions | 6+ segments or center label | Donut Chart |
| Show proportions | Hierarchical | Treemap |
| Explore relationships | Correlation | Scatter Plot |
| Explore relationships | Flows between stages | Sankey Diagram |
| Explore relationships | Mutual connections | Chord Diagram |
| Show distribution | Frequency bins | Histogram |
| Show distribution | Term importance | Word Cloud |
| Show distribution | Single metric vs. target | Gauge Chart |
Lesson Plan
Grade Level
Undergraduate / Professional Development
Duration
10-15 minutes
Prerequisites
Familiarity with the concept of data types (categorical, numerical, hierarchical) and a basic understanding of why different data shapes call for different visual representations.
Activities
- Free Exploration (5 min): Students work through the decision tree 3-4 times with different starting goals, noting which chart types appear at the end of each path.
- Scenario Challenge (5 min): Students use the "Try a Scenario" dropdown to watch the tree auto-fill, then discuss in pairs why the recommended chart is the best fit.
- Create Your Own (5 min): Each student describes a dataset from their own field, walks through the decision tree, and writes a one-sentence justification for the recommended chart type.
Assessment
Students can correctly navigate the decision tree for a novel dataset description and articulate the data characteristics (number of categories, continuous vs. categorical, part-to-whole vs. comparison) that led to the recommendation.