Data and spreadsheets
Choose a chart for the question you want answered
Write down the question your reader will ask, then list the fields that answer it. Pick the chart that matches the comparison: change over time, parts of a whole, or one group against another. Before building anything, note which common charts would mislead for this data.
A text to start with
My reader wants to know [question]. My data has these fields: [fields, types and number of rows]. The groups or time span involved are [description]. Suggest one primary chart and explain why it fits the question. Name two charts that would mislead for this data and say why. Mention anything about uncertainty or small samples that the chart should show.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Chart choice worksheet
Reader question: [ ] Who the reader is: [ ] Decision the answer supports: [ ] Data field: [ ] Type (number, date, category): [ ] Unit: [ ] Number of values or groups: [ ] Candidate chart: [ ] Why it fits the question: [ ] Axis start and scale: [ ] Uncertainty or sample size to show: [ ] Misleading alternative 1: [ ] Why it misleads here: [ ] Misleading alternative 2: [ ] Why it misleads here: [ ] What the reader concluded when tested: [ ] Repeat the item block as needed.
Charts that overstate
Check what the visual implies. A line between categories may suggest an order or intermediate values that have no meaning here. Axis limits can exaggerate or conceal differences, and two scales can make unrelated changes appear aligned. Decide whether counts, missing groups or uncertainty are relevant to the reader's conclusion, then show them where needed. A chart of descriptive totals does not automatically need an error range. Verify that labels, units and periods let a reader interpret the intended comparison without guessing.
Ask another agent to check the result
Challenge this chart choice. Identify any way it hides uncertainty, small sample sizes or missing groups, and any relationship between variables it implies without support. Say whether a reader could draw a conclusion the data does not justify.
Draft and test with a reader
Build the chart from a small subset first and check it against the question you wrote. Ask one person who has not seen the data what the chart tells them, and compare their answer with your intended point. Adjust labels, axis start and annotations where they read it differently. Keep the question and the chart choice together in your notes.