visualization-selection

name	visualization-selection
description	Use this skill when creating charts, plots, or dashboards. Choose the visualization type that best communicates the data relationship before writing any plotting code.
category	data_analysis

Visualization Selection Guide

Goal	Chart Type
Compare categories	Bar chart (horizontal if many labels)
Show distribution	Histogram, box plot, violin plot
Show trend over time	Line chart
Show correlation	Scatter plot, heatmap
Show part-to-whole	Pie (<=5 slices), stacked bar

Principles:

• Label axes and include units.
• Use color purposefully — not just for decoration.
• Avoid 3D charts; they distort perception.
• Start y-axis at 0 for bar charts (truncated bars mislead).
• Use a colorblind-safe palette (e.g., viridis, colorbrewer).