Tutorials

Visualize your data like an expert with hundreds of practical how-tos for presentation, analysis, and understanding.

How to Map with Contour Lines and GeoTIFF in R

GeoTIFF data can provide high granularity but make it hard to see patterns when data is sparse. Contour lines provide an aggregated view that makes patterns easier to see.

How to Use a Slider to Let Readers Customize Charts

A simple user-controlled slider can help readers look at a dataset from their own point of view.

How to Make a Cartogram with Packed Circles in R

There are packages to make cartograms, but in some cases you might need a more flexible solution.

How to Make a Heatmap with Irregular Bins in R

There are existing functions and packages to make heatmaps in R, but when the data is irregular, it's worth going custom.

How I Made That: Network Diagrams of All the Household Types

Process the data into a usable format, which makes the visualization part more straightforward.

How to Make Unit-Based, Variable Width Bar Charts

In a cross between unit charts and variable width bar charts, we can show total counts and relative proportions at the same time.

How to Make a Smoother Animated Growth Map in R

Show change over time and geography with smooth transitions.

How to Animate Packed Circles in R

Pack circles, figure out the transitions between time segments, and then generate frames to string together.

How to Draw and Use Polygons in R

R provides functions for basic shapes, but you can also draw your own for maximum fun.

How to Make an Animated Donut Chart in R

There are "better" ways to show proportions over time, but sometimes you just want an animated donut.

How to Make Bubble Clusters in R

Represent individual counts with grouped units to make data feel less abstract.

How to Make Cartograms in R

While the reshaped geography doesn't work all the time, the use of size to show data can be more intuitive in some cases.

How to Make a Line Chart with a Color Gradient in R

Use color to reinforce or add another layer of meaning to a regular line chart.

How to Make UpSet Plots in R, with ggplot2 and ggupset

A more readable alternative to Venn diagrams for when you have more than a few sets.

A Quick and Easy Way to Make Spiral Charts in R

Now that we've discovered another way to annoy chart snobs, here's how you can make your own spirals.

How to Make Frequency Trails in Excel

Also known as ridgelines, use the method to create a compact visualization where you can easily identify major patterns and outliers.

How to Make a Custom Stacked Area Chart in R

You could use a package, but then you couldn't customize every single element, and where's the fun in that?

How to Make Print-ready Graphics in R, with ggplot2

You don't have to use illustration software to polish your graphics. If keeping everything in R is your thing, this tutorial is for you.