| name | choose-tool |
| description | Decision protocol for selecting the right data visualisation tool from the inventory based on output medium, data shape, runtime, and storytelling needs. Use when the user asks for a chart/graphic/dashboard but hasn't specified a library. |
Choose the Right Visualisation Tool
Use this when the user wants a visualisation and hasn't named a library. The goal is to start from the purpose-organised inventory (skills/tool-inventory) so the pick is grounded, rather than defaulting to whatever first comes to mind.
The inventory is a head start, not a cage — if nothing listed fits, go outside it and say why.
Decision axes
Ask (or infer) along these axes before picking:
- Presentation purpose
- Static figure for a report/PDF/print
- Embedded chart on a web page / blog
- Interactive dashboard
- Animated / narrative data storytelling
- Scientific / exploratory analysis
- Data shape
- Tabular (rows × columns)
- Time-series / financial
- Network / graph
- Gridded / geospatial raster (netCDF, climate)
- Geospatial points / globe
- Runtime the user works in
- Python pipeline
- JS / web front-end (vanilla, React, general)
- Flutter
- Desktop app (no code)
- Interactivity required
- None (export PNG/SVG)
- Hover / tooltip
- Full linked-brushing dashboard
- Animated transitions between states
- Audience
- Technical / analyst — exploration
- General — storytelling, clarity-first
Quick mapping (defaults)
| Need | Pick |
|---|
| Publication-quality static figure, Python | Matplotlib |
| Interactive Python dashboard | Plotly Dash or Bokeh |
| Lightweight web chart, minimal deps | Chartist or Chart.js |
| Dashboard-class web charts with many types | Apache ECharts |
| Bespoke / custom visual, web | D3 |
| React-native chart primitives | visx |
| Financial / time-series, web | Lightweight Charts |
| Flutter app chart | fl_chart |
| Animated storytelling transitions | Vizzu |
| Narrative / story-driven charts | VChart |
| Network / graph exploration | Constellation |
| Multi-dim interactive exploration (desktop) | DataWarrior |
| Earth-science gridded data | Iris |
| Quant finance research | QuantInvestStrats |
| 3D globe | react-globe.gl |
Protocol
- Read
skills/tool-inventory for the canonical list and repo links.
- If the user's need maps cleanly to the table above, propose that tool and state why in one sentence.
- If two inventory tools fit, present both with a one-line tradeoff and ask.
- If nothing in the inventory genuinely fits, propose a non-inventory tool and say so explicitly with the reason.
- Once chosen, hand off to
skills/setup-environment if the user needs the toolchain stood up, or proceed to implementation.
