An area chart is similar to a line chart, except that it displays the area below the line in addition to the line itself. This can be helpful for displaying more information than a line chart, particularly when there are many data points. In fact, it essentially combines a line graph with a bar chart to show changes in quantities of data. Data points on an area chart are connected by a line, and the areas below the line are shaded like they are in bar graphs.
There are a few different types of area charts, including the horizontal area chart, vertical area chart, and stacked area chart. Area charts are excellent for visualizing how a value changes over time. They can be used to track the progress of a project, monitor the sales of a product, or illustrate how a statistic changes over a period of time, just to give a few examples. Here are three of the best uses for area charts, as well as some guidelines on how to best take advantage of them.
1. Compare and contrast data points between two or more sets of data.
Area charts are a great way to compare and contrast data points between two or more sets of data. Additionally, area charts can be used to highlight the difference between two or more data sets. They make it easy to see how the values of one data set compare to the values of another data set.
This can be helpful when you are trying to make a decision about which data set is better or when you are trying to understand how one data set affects the other. They can be also used to quickly identify any trends or patterns that may exist, which can be crucial for tracking sustainability, as well as evaluating and improving business processes.
The stacked area chart is especially good for this purpose since the data sets are stacked on top of each other so that you can see the total value for each data set. However, instead of representing each data set as a percentage of the total, this type of area chart represents each data set as a stack of bars.
2. Show changes in data over time.
Area charts are a great way to show how data changes over time. They can be used to track sales, profits, or any other metric that changes over time. The area between the lines on the chart will indicate how much has changed since the beginning of the data set. This can be helpful for seeing how your business is doing at a glance or for tracking the success of digital marketing campaigns, to name a couple of examples.
3. Show trends over time.
Area charts are often used to visualize trends, and they can be helpful for seeing how a particular quantity changes over time. For example, you might use an area chart to visualize the sales data for a company over a period of several years. This would allow you to see how sales have changed over time, and you could identify any trends that might be occurring.
There are a few things to keep in mind when using area charts to show trends over time. First, it’s important to make sure that the data is displayed on the chart in the correct order. The data should be displayed in chronological order, with the earliest data set at the bottom of the chart and the most recent data set at the top.
It’s also important to make sure that the scale on the y-axis is appropriate for the data. If the data is increasing or decreasing over time, then the y-axis should reflect that. For example, if the data is increasing, the y-axis should be set to a higher scale so that the increase is visible. If the data is decreasing, the y-axis should be set to a lower scale so that the decrease is visible.
Finally, it’s important to be aware of the time period that the data represents. For example, if you’re looking at data from the past few years, you might not be able to see any long-term trends. In this case, you would need to look at data from a longer time period to see any trends.