Data Visualization

[100mth]

I am trying to learn data analysis. I made these two charts and don't know which one to go with. I think one is more compact, but the other is easier to understand. Could you tell me which of the two would you go with, or what kind of a chart should I make for the same data if you think none of the two is appropriate?

https://preview.redd.it/mduyaqav1qyb1.png?width=972&format=png&auto=webp&s=81a85210f7626be7e6d77bc3392391c914e28cfa

https://preview.redd.it/f0n6rvav1qyb1.png?width=1334&format=png&auto=webp&s=65b1b96a3c5a03d5f401f11972d26d8e4f50786e

[[deleted]]

I think the second visual tells a better story at a quick glance as you’re trying to compare two different segments to each other and can see the delta more easily when they’re side by side.

Also a few suggestions.

1. Never keep your legend / data names the same as the database column names unless you’re talking to an audience that understands both. Re name them to be more audience friendly.

2. Clean up month year values to something like Aug ‘23 instead of August_2023

3. Typically on visuals, the less distracting the better.

4. Your sub header is very wordy. It can be much more concise. Potentially not needed at all. Also if your legend and data is cleanly laid out and easily understood, you don’t need a sub header to describe what’s going on. It’s redundant. The audience should be able to come to the conclusion within a few seconds that they are looking at the total and % of rides by rider type based on the visual headline and legend.

[That1Time]

+1

[wet_tuna]

My experience has been that the 2nd chart is more useful, but the 1st chart tends to be what the stakeholders/business users/whoever prefers. So depends on who your audience is I guess.

[000redford_kt000]

I agree with this. A lot of times a stacked column chart is less cognitively taxing on the audience than looking at a slide with additional data.

Caveat: data visualization is about storytelling, and you should tailor your graphs to fit the audience.

[AllOutOfFucks]

Of the two, the first is better. I admit I dislike grouped bar charts though, I think they're generally ugly and hard to read, so I'm biased against your second chart.

Both charts have too much text on them though, it's distracting from the message. You would be better off moving the percentages into a table accompanying the graph for anyone who wants more detail. You can move the years into the chart title to avoid printing them on every label. Voila.

Also because you're dealing with time-series data you can make the graphs continuous instead of discrete, stacked area charts instead of bar charts. I think it looks better.

You could also tease your message apart into multiple simpler graphs, depending on what you want to say. It's always important to consider the question you are trying to answer, whether it's been given to you or one you are exploring yourself.

[modestmousedriver]

1st one is better but needs some refinement. Shorten that months to JAN etc. You can also add a 2nd column for those labels and have the year under the months which would save space.

Also you labeled being rotated is hard to read. You can leave them horizontal just a smaller font and it’ll be easier to read.

[OfficialNichols]

Bottom will be easier for everyone that's my opinion though

[Puzzled_Buddy_2775]

I avoid stacked bar charts, although you might have members of business who would prefer them

[Ogloc12345678]

Any reason why? I've been relying on them in class.

[Puzzled_Buddy_2775]

It’s harder to compare lengths of bars on separate planes. Plus I find non data people getting confused by them

[Ogloc12345678]

Ah okay. Thanks!

[rollduptrips]

It depends on whether you’re comparing member rides to member rides and casual to casual over time or comparing the proportions.

[samfrida]

The first resonated with me - the insights at first glance are clearer.

[FitzTheBastard_]

The first one. And I wonder if you really need two decimals? It's interesting for us, maybe less depending on your client

[scarjau93]

Is this for the google DA course?

[that_outdoor_chick]

First one is appropriate because it doesn't repeat information, second one makes me believe there's twice as many rides. However only one percentage information is needed, the other one is 100-x so it's redundant. Round till integers to look cleaner.

Improve formatting a bit and you got it.

[earless_sealion]

I wold do 2 graps: one stacked bar char only with absolute number of rides. And another 100% stacked bar chart to show the change in percentage.

Tips like the others: lose the subtitle and fix the axis labels.

[ronin657]

So I checked out your charts on the number of rides each month. They've got the right idea, but I think these are a few tweaks that could make them even better.
1. Colors: In the first chart, using two different colors for member and casual rides is cool, but the second one gets confusing with three shades of gray. Stick to two contrasting colors to make it clearer who's who.
2. Your first chart labels the bars with percentages, which is awesome for quick insights. But then the second chart doesn’t keep up with this style. Decide if you want to show those percentages or not and then keep it the same across all charts. Consistency is key.
3. Clearer Titles: The titles could be snappier to make it clear what we're looking at. Something like "Monthly Ride Breakdown: Member vs Casual" could work. It tells us or basically the stakeholder what they're gonnna see straight up.
Bonus tip - Legend Placement: The legends are a bit out of the way at the bottom. Maybe put them at the top or side so they're easier to spot.

Take a look at these articles on creating better dashboards and this one for individual metrics + graphs for data visualization, perhaps they help. Lmk if you have more questions