Choosing the right chart or visualization for communicating your analytical intent is one of the most important decisions to make.  Whilst this may seem entirely obvious in practice this is not always adhered to.  Chart selection is often ‘design’ driven, based on what looks best, rather than what communicates the best.

Before you choose a chart or visualization, you must understand what type of analysis is important to your audience and have a very good understanding of the data.  Only then can you make a valid selection and highlight what is important in the visualization.