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Chart Types

Complete guide to all visualization types available in the analysis dashboard

Updated today

Deepfield offers a variety of chart types to visualize your survey data. The available charts depend on your question type, and you can switch between different views to find the best way to present your findings.

Quick Reference

Question Type

Available Charts

Multiple Choice

Bar, Pie, 100% Stacked, Spider/Radar

Numeric

Box Plot, Histogram

Matrix

Stacked Bar

Ranking

Ranking Bar

Allocation

Allocation Ranking

Multi-Numeric

Box Plot, Histogram (per option)

Open Text

Word frequency, Theme breakdown


Standard Charts

These charts are available for multiple choice and similar question types.

Bar Chart

The default visualization. Horizontal bars show the count or percentage of responses for each option.

Best for:

  • Comparing response frequencies

  • Showing clear "winners" among options

  • Presenting to stakeholders who prefer simple visuals

Features:

  • Click any bar to filter responses by that option

  • Hover for exact counts and percentages

  • Sorted by frequency (most popular at top)

Pie Chart

Circular chart showing proportions as slices. Uses a donut style with the total count displayed in the center.

Best for:

  • Showing parts of a whole

  • Single-select questions with 2-5 options

  • Quick visual of dominant responses

Features:

  • Click any slice to filter responses

  • Legend shows all options with percentages

  • Center displays total response count

💡 Tip: Avoid pie charts with more than 6-7 options—bar charts are clearer for many categories.

100% Stacked Bar

A single horizontal bar divided into colored segments, each representing the proportion of an option.

Best for:

  • Comparing proportions in a compact view

  • Side-by-side comparison when using breakdowns

  • When absolute numbers matter less than relative distribution

Features:

  • Each segment shows percentage on hover

  • Color-coded by response option

  • Compact for dashboard views

Spider/Radar Chart

Multi-axis chart showing values plotted on axes radiating from a center point. Creates a polygon shape.

Best for:

  • Comparing multiple dimensions simultaneously

  • Profile comparisons (e.g., brand attributes)

  • Questions with 3 or more options

Features:

  • Each axis represents one option

  • Values shown as distance from center

  • Falls back to bar chart if fewer than 3 options

📝 Note: Requires at least 3 options to display. With fewer options, the system shows a bar chart instead.


Numeric Charts

These charts are automatically used for numeric question types.

Box Plot

Statistical visualization showing distribution of numeric responses through quartiles.

Display elements:

  • Whiskers - Minimum and maximum values

  • Box - Interquartile range (Q1 to Q3, middle 50% of data)

  • White line - Median (50th percentile)

  • Orange diamond - Mean (average)

Best for:

  • Understanding data spread and distribution

  • Identifying outliers

  • Comparing distributions across groups (with breakdowns)

Features:

  • Click to view all responses sorted by value

  • Shows statistical summary (min, max, median, mean)

Histogram

Bar chart showing distribution across value ranges (quartiles).

Display elements:

  • Bars - Count of responses in each quartile range

  • Color gradient - Q1-Q4 shown in different colors

  • Orange line - Average value marker

Best for:

  • Seeing how responses cluster

  • Identifying common value ranges

  • Understanding the shape of your data

Features:

  • Supports currency formatting when applicable

  • Shows count per quartile range


Matrix Charts

Matrix Stacked Bar

One horizontal stacked bar per row, showing the distribution of ratings across the scale options.

Example: For a satisfaction matrix with rows "Price", "Quality", "Service" rated 1-5:

  • Each row gets its own bar

  • Segments show proportion selecting each rating

  • Color coding matches the rating scale

Best for:

  • Comparing how items performed across the same scale

  • Identifying strongest and weakest attributes

  • Spotting patterns in satisfaction/agreement matrices

Features:

  • Click any segment to filter responses

  • Tabbed interface for breakdowns

  • Color palette matches scale (e.g., red-to-green for satisfaction)


Ranking Charts

Ranking Bar Chart

Horizontal bars showing average rank for each option. Lower average = better (ranked higher more often).

Display elements:

  • Bars - Width represents rank score (inverted: best rank = widest bar)

  • Rank badges - 1st, 2nd, 3rd highlighted with special badges

  • Response count - How many times each was ranked

Best for:

  • Showing clear priority order

  • Identifying unanimous top choices

  • Presenting ranking results to stakeholders

Features:

  • Options sorted by average rank (best at top)

  • Click to filter by participants who ranked that option highly


Allocation Charts

Allocation Ranking View

Bars showing average percentage allocation for each option, ranked by importance.

Display elements:

  • Bars - Average percentage allocated

  • Rank badges - Top 3 highlighted

  • Percentage labels - Exact average shown

Best for:

  • Showing relative importance from budget/point allocation

  • Identifying where respondents would invest most

  • Priority visualization

Features:

  • Click to see all responses for that option

  • Sorted by average allocation (highest at top)


Breakdown Charts

When you apply a "Compare By" filter, special breakdown views show how results differ across segments.

How Breakdowns Work

  1. Select a question to analyze

  2. Click "Compare By" or the breakdown selector

  3. Choose a dimension: Theme, Persona, or another question

  4. View side-by-side comparisons

Breakdown Views by Question Type

Question Type

Breakdown Display

Multiple Choice

Grouped/stacked bars per segment

Numeric

Side-by-side box plots per segment

Matrix

Tabbed view switching between segments

Ranking

Side-by-side ranking bars per segment

Allocation

Grouped allocation bars per segment

Multi-Numeric

Tabbed view with option selector

Using Breakdowns

Compare by Theme: See how responses differ based on identified themes from qualitative analysis.

Compare by Persona: Compare responses across AI-generated persona segments.

Compare by Question: Break down results by answers to another question (e.g., satisfaction by age group).

Features:

  • Consistent color coding across segments

  • Click any segment to drill down

  • Toggle between breakdown groups


Choosing the Right Chart

For Quantitative Questions

Goal

Recommended Chart

Show most popular options

Bar Chart

Show proportion of whole

Pie Chart

Compare distributions

Box Plot

Profile comparison

Spider/Radar Chart

Show priorities

Ranking Bar Chart

Show resource allocation

Allocation Chart

For Qualitative Questions

Goal

Recommended View

Identify common themes

Theme cards

Find key quotes

Citations

Understand personas

Persona breakdown

Track specific mentions

Word frequency

For Presentations

Audience

Recommended Charts

Executive summary

Pie, simple bar

Detailed analysis

Box plots, breakdowns

Comparison focus

100% stacked, spider

Priority decisions

Ranking, allocation


Interactive Features

All charts support these interactions:

Feature

Action

Filter responses

Click any chart element

View details

Hover for tooltips

Change chart type

Use chart type selector (where available)

Add breakdown

Use "Compare By" selector

Export

Include in slides or reports


Best Practices

  1. Start with bar charts - They're familiar and easy to interpret

  2. Use pie charts sparingly - Only for simple, single-select with few options

  3. Apply breakdowns - Segment analysis reveals deeper insights

  4. Consider your audience - Simple charts for executives, detailed for analysts

  5. Check sample sizes - Breakdowns with few responses per segment may be unreliable

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