Visualisation Selection Guide

Start Here → What do you want to show?

🟩 I want to show a comparison between categories or groups

Are the categories along a timeline (e.g. months, years)?
  ▪️ Yes → Vertical Bar Chart
    E.g. Number of program participants each month

  ▪️ No → Horizontal Bar Chart
    → Want to show multiple groupings side by side? → Clustered Bar
      E.g. Participation across different age groups by gender
    → Want to show each group’s breakdown? → Stacked Bar
      E.g. Support types delivered by program area (e.g. education, housing, employment)
    → Want to show % distribution per category? → Stacked Proportions Bar
      E.g. Proportion of outcome achievement by service provider
    → Need to compare two different scales? → Biaxial Bar
      E.g. Total participants (bars) vs. employment outcomes rate (line)

🟨 I want to show a trend or change over time

Is it a single metric? → Line Chart
  E.g. Number of people accessing services each quarter

Multiple values for the same metric over time?
  → Stacked Line (for cumulative values)
    E.g. Growth of different service types delivered over the year
  → Stacked % Line (for proportion comparison over time)
    E.g. Changing distribution of funding allocation by area over time

🟦 I want to show a mix of bars and lines over time

→ Use a Bar and Line Chart
  Useful for showing a quantity (e.g. number of program participants) as bars
  And a rate or goal (e.g. % outcome achieved) as a line
    E.g. Participants per quarter (bars) vs. % job placement (line)

🟪 I want to show a breakdown of parts of a whole

→ Pie Chart
  E.g. Share of funding by source (government, philanthropy, local council)

→ Donut Chart
  E.g. Proportion of RAP commitments across different focus areas (employment, education, partnerships)

→ Metric Card (ideal for dashboards and key indicator snapshots)
  E.g. 84% of participants achieved improved wellbeing

🟥 I want to show the flow of values between stages or categories

→ Sankey Chart
  Great for showing pathways — e.g. from funding source → program area → community outcome

✅ Common Use Cases