Stop 15 of 58 · about 8 minutes
Which chart actually tells your story? Somewhere right now, a pie chart with fourteen slices is being shown to a board, and everyone is nodding and understanding nothing.
Sample charity: the people and numbers in these screens are made up, so the picture shows the tool, not a result.
Start with your question, then pick the chart.
| To show… | Use a… |
|---|---|
| One big number | Number card |
| A few groups side by side | Column or bar chart |
| Parts of a whole, few slices | Donut or pie chart |
| Change over time | Line or area chart |
| People moving through stages | Funnel chart |
| Two things at once, like stage by region | Cube or stacked column |
| Overlap, like volunteers who also give | Venn diagram |
| Where most of the value comes from | Pareto chart |
| Who is over- or under-represented in a group | Profile tile |
If a chart needs a long explanation, use a simpler one.
Answer: Line
Answer: Venn
Answer: Funnel
Time goes on a line. Overlap goes in a Venn. Stages go in a funnel.
The right chart helps a whole room see what you see, in seconds.
Learn Mission is a free course. You read a little, do it yourself, then answer one quick check. Orin, the assistant in Orbit, walks with you. Your progress stays in your browser.
It is stop 15 of 58. Open it in the course, or start from the beginning.
Open this stop in the course