Tutorial on Double Doughnut Chart Using Visual Paradigm Online

Double Doughnut Charts (also known as comparative Doughnut Charts) are a useful way to visualize hierarchical data in a circular format, allowing viewers to compare two datasets side by side. This tutorial will guide you through the key concepts of Double Doughnut Charts, provide a realistic example, and show how to implement it using Visual Paradigm Online Chart Tool.

Key Concepts

1. Doughnut Chart: A doughnut chart is a variation of a pie chart, where the center is cut out, allowing for additional information to be displayed.
2. Double Doughnut: This consists of two concentric doughnut charts, usually representing two related datasets. It enables comparisons between the two datasets, making it easier to identify patterns and relationships.
3. Use Cases: Double Doughnut Charts are excellent for:
   • Comparing two related categories.
   • Showing distribution of a whole into parts.
   • Visualizing demographic data, budget allocations, or survey results.

Example Scenario

Let’s consider a company that wants to visualize its sales and expenses across different departments. We will create a Double Doughnut Chart to compare sales and expenses in three departments: Marketing, Sales, and Development.

Data Structure

Here’s the sample data we will use:

• Sales Data:
  • Marketing: $50,000
  • Sales: $70,000
  • Development: $30,000
• Expense Data:
  • Marketing: $30,000
  • Sales: $50,000
  • Development: $20,000

Implementing Double Doughnut Chart with Visual Paradigm Online

Description of the Double Donut Chart

The comparative donut chart visualizes sales data by continent for the years 2018 and 2020. This chart effectively highlights changes in sales distribution across different regions over the specified period.

• Outer Donut (2018): The outer ring represents the sales figures for each continent in 2018. Each segment’s size corresponds to the proportion of total sales attributed to that continent, allowing for quick visual comparisons.
• Inner Donut (2020): The inner ring illustrates the sales figures for 2020. Similar to the outer donut, the size of each segment reflects the sales contribution from each continent, enabling viewers to see how sales have shifted over the two years.

Key Insights:

• Growth in Europe and Asia: Both Europe and Asia show an increase in sales from 2018 to 2020.
• Decline in North America: North America experienced a decrease in sales during the same period.
• Stable Sales in Africa and Australia: Sales in Africa and Australia showed only minor changes, indicating relative stability.

This chart serves as a powerful tool for analyzing trends in global sales, helping stakeholders make informed decisions based on regional performance over the specified years.

Double Doughnut Chart vs Grouped Column Chart

When comparing a doughnut chart and a grouped column chart, both visualizations serve different purposes and have unique characteristics. Here’s a comparative overview:

Doughnut Chart

Advantages:

• Visual Appeal: The circular shape can be more visually engaging and can fit well into designs.
• Part-to-Whole Relationships: It effectively shows the proportion of parts to a whole, making it easy to understand contributions to a total.
• Space for Labels: The center of the doughnut can be used for additional information or totals.

Disadvantages:

• Limited Data Comparison: It’s less effective for comparing multiple categories or values directly.
• Difficult for Precise Values: Readers may struggle to gauge exact values compared to bar heights in a column chart.

Grouped Column Chart

Advantages:

• Direct Comparison: It allows for easy comparison of multiple categories across different groups, making it clear which category performs better.
• Exact Values: It’s easier to read and interpret exact values due to the vertical bars.
• Clear Trends: Trends over categories or time can be represented clearly.

Disadvantages:

• Space Constraints: Can become cluttered if there are too many categories or groups, especially on smaller screens.
• Less Visually Appealing: May not be as visually engaging as a doughnut chart for some audiences.

Use Cases

• Doughnut Chart: Best for displaying market share, budget breakdowns, or any scenario where you want to show how parts contribute to a whole.
• Grouped Column Chart: Ideal for comparing performance metrics across different categories, such as sales by region or product performance over time.

Choosing between a doughnut chart and a grouped column chart depends on the data you want to present and the story you wish to tell. For part-to-whole relationships, a doughnut chart may be more effective, while for comparative analysis, a grouped column chart is often the better choice.

Here are realistic examples for both a doughnut chart and a grouped column chart to illustrate their use cases clearly.

Example Scenario: Annual Sales Data for a Retail Company

Data Context: A retail company sells three product categories: Electronics, Clothing, and Home Goods. The company wants to analyze its sales performance for the year across different quarters.

1. Doughnut Chart Example

Purpose: To show the proportion of total sales contributed by each product category for the entire year.

Data:

• Total Sales: $1,000,000
  • Electronics: $400,000 (40%)
  • Clothing: $300,000 (30%)
  • Home Goods: $300,000 (30%)

Doughnut Chart:

• The chart will visually display the slices representing each category’s contribution to the total sales, helping stakeholders quickly understand which categories are performing best.

2. Grouped Column Chart Example

Purpose: To compare quarterly sales across the three product categories.

Data:

• Quarter 1:
  • Electronics: $100,000
  • Clothing: $80,000
  • Home Goods: $70,000
• Quarter 2:
  • Electronics: $120,000
  • Clothing: $90,000
  • Home Goods: $80,000
• Quarter 3:
  • Electronics: $150,000
  • Clothing: $100,000
  • Home Goods: $90,000
• Quarter 4:
  • Electronics: $130,000
  • Clothing: $110,000
  • Home Goods: $60,000

Grouped Column Chart:

• Each quarter will have a set of three columns (one for each product category), allowing for direct comparison of sales performance across quarters and categories.

• Doughnut Chart: Best for visualizing the overall contribution of each product category to total sales for the year.
• Grouped Column Chart: Best for comparing how each product category performed across different quarters, highlighting trends and variations in sales.

You have successfully created a Double Doughnut Chart using Visual Paradigm Online to visualize sales and expenses by department. This visualization allows for easy comparison of two datasets, providing insights into the company’s financial performance. You can further customize the chart with colors, additional data, and styles as needed.