Charts

Grouped Spread Plot

A sleek, minimalist alternative to the grouped bar chart.

What is a grouped spread plot?

A grouped spread plot offers the same summary statistics as a clustered bar chart, but with a more minimal aesthetic. Within each cluster, a prominent line with smaller error bars represent individual subcategories. This design allows for clear side-by-side comparisons between groups and across their respective subcategories.

While often a matter personal preference, many prefer spread plots over bar charts because there is less visual weight on the bars and more visual harmony between the aggregate measure and the error bars.

Default spread plot
Includes an overlay of individual points showing the spread of the data by default.
Grouped vertical spread plot displaying the data distribution with mean values and their associated error bars.

Distribution dot plot

It is good practice to overlay a distribution dot plot on top of summary statistics. This is Graphmatik's default behaviour, as it enables viewers to easily see the shape of the underlying data, sample size, and any potential outliers.

Make sure to check out these tips on how to create beautiful grouped plots
Easily swap directions
Alternate between vertical and horizontal spread plots by toggling between columns or rows.
A horizontal grouped spread plot showing two clusters, each containing three subgroups arranged from smallest to largest. The overall largest subgroup across clusters is highlight in purple.

Chart properties

PropDefaultDescription
central tendencymean
mean
The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values in the set.
median
The middlemost value of a sorted set of numbers.
error barsSEM
standard error of the mean (SEM) mean
How much the sample means vary from the population mean.
standard deviation (SD) mean
A measure of the variation of a set of values around their mean.
95% confidence interval (95% CI) mean or median
95% probability that the population parameter lies within this range.
range mean or median
The difference between the highest and lowest values within a set.
Interquartile range (IQR) median
The middle 50% of a set of values (i.e. 3rd quartile - 1st quartile).
sortnone
none
The clusters are arranged in insertion order.
ascending
Clusters are arranged from smallest to largest.
descending
Clusters are arranged from largest to smallest.
group byfactor
factor
Bars will be grouped by the selected factor, with the other factor defining the subgroups.

Grouped Bar Chart

An upgraded clustered bar chart that's perfect for side-by-side comparisons.

Grouped Box Plot

A grouped visualization that uses quartiles to highlight the distribution.