Time Series Graph Examples For Compelling Stories

You have data you’ve been tracking over time. And you’re tasked to explain its trend and, most importantly, provide a forecast.

What’s the chart to go for?

Yes, you guessed right. Time Series Graphs. This chart is suitable in this scenario because time and dates are continuous, categorical data. Keep reading to uncover tips you didn’t know using our Time Series Graph examples throughout the blog.

This blog will walk you through tips that thousands of seasoned data visualization experts use to make their stories persuasive. So these tips (and secrets) are tested and proven.

We’re confident your storytelling skills will be supercharged.

Before we delve right into types and examples of Time Series Charts, let’s introduce the subject matter.

In this blog, you’ll learn:

• What Is Time Series Analysis?
• Examples of Time Series Graphs
• How to Make Time Series Graphs: Step-by-Step Guide with Examples
• Best Tool to Create Time Series Graphs
• How Can You Visualize Your Data Using Time Series Charts In ChartExpo?

What Is Time Series Analysis?

Definition: Time Series Analysis is the process of analyzing data collected at different points in time. Besides, there’s always the potential for correlation between variables in these charts because data points are collected in adjacent periods.

Even you can check the trend on your time-series data to know if the trend is going upward or downward.

These charts are incredibly popular in the world of finance and investing. This is because investors track the value of stocks and other securities across time. In Forex trading, many software tools use Time Series to show the price of currencies across different time frames.

In Economics, Time Series Charts are used to track the gross domestic product (GDP) across time.

So these advanced charts can provide in-depth insights into whether your data is:

• Mean-reverting or explosive behavior
• Has a time trend
• Exhibits seasonality
• Demonstrates structural breaks

Suppose you wanted to analyze a Time Series of daily closing stock prices for a given stock over one year. Naturally, you would obtain a list of all the closing prices for the stock from each day for the past year and list them chronologically. This would be a one-year daily closing price time series for the stock.

Delving a bit deeper, you might analyze Time Series data with technical analysis tools to know whether the stock’s time series shows any seasonality.

This will help to determine if the stock goes through peaks and troughs at regular times each year.

Analysis in this area would require taking the observed prices and correlating them to a chosen season. This can include traditional calendar seasons, such as summer and winter, or retail seasons, such as holiday seasons.

Time Series Graphs plot data on the y-axis against an increment of time on the x-axis. Besides, Time Series Graphs visually highlight the behavior and patterns of the data and can lay the foundation for building a reliable model.

Now that you are familiar with Time Series: let’s jump into the core types of visualizations you can use to make your story more compelling.

Examples of Time Series Graphs

There are many ways available to use visualization to show time series graphs. But below 6 types are widely used and can be found in the ChartExpo library:

  1. Line Chart

This chart visualizes data as a series of markers or points connected by a curve or a line. Besides, it has a horizontal axis that depicts a continuous progression, i.e., time. On the other hand, the vertical axis reports values for a metric of interest across that progression. For example, this chart tells about the number of accidents on a particular road in different months.

So when should you use a Line Chart?

Use this chart to emphasize changes in values for one variable (plotted on the vertical axis) for continuous values of a second variable (plotted on the horizontal).

To get the insights, check for line segments moving consistently from left to right and evaluate their respective slopes (rate of change).

On the horizontal axis, you need a variable that depicts continuous values with a regular interval of measurement. And this variable should be a temporal one, generating an observation every minute, hour, day, week, or month.

Besides, you need a metric variable for points that fall in each of the intervals defined by the horizontal-axis variable on the vertical axis. Often, this can be a statistical summary, such as:

• Count
• Average etc.

Don’t use this chart for:

• Data sets on scales that do not have a meaningful relationship to zero

  2. Multi-series Line Chart

Plotting multiple data series in one chart is possible if you use a Multi-Series Line Chart.

This chart visualizes trends and relationships in various datasets. It’s made up of various data points connected using line segments, where each point represents a single value. Use this chart to visualize continuous data like prices over time.

To increase the effectiveness of this chart in your story, follow the BEST practices highlighted below:

• Keep it simple: do away from anything unnecessary, like grid lines.
• Highlight the critical data elements

  3. Dual Axis Line Chart

A Dual Axis Chart comes in handy if you want to compare the performance of two variables over a given time. For instance, the chart above shows the performance of two primary metrics (wasted spend and conversion) across time (horizontal axis).

It’s effortless to illustrate the relationship between two different variables using this chart. This is because it shows a lot of information with limited space.

You can quickly discover trends you may have otherwise missed if you’re switching between graphs. Besides, you can visualize variables with different numerical units. For instance, you can visualize the number (count) and prices of houses sold in Houston in a predetermined period.

It all depends on you or your audience what type of chart they like.

A chart can only hold so much information before it becomes overwhelming. This is not an exception for Dual Axis Line Charts. So, stick to making one point with your chart.

You don’t want to create confusion among your audiences with charts cluttered with insights. Clutter is the greatest enemy of a compelling story.

  4. Dot Chart

A Dot Chart or plot visualizes data points on a reasonably simple scale, typically filled in circles.

Besides, it visualizes variables in the form of dots in a Cartesian coordinate system. You can easily spot the presence or absence of a relationship between two variables in your data.

Dot Charts are valuable in providing insights into correlations between key variables.

The correlation between the variables is considered high (or strong) if it’s possible to draw a (nearly) straight line between the markers on a Dot Chart. Conversely, if the markers are distributed evenly, then the correlation is low or might equal zero.

Key takeaway: Use this chart if you want to communicate correlation insights in your story.

  5. Area Line Chart

An area Line Chart connects data points with a continuous line and fills in the region below with a solid color. This might seem to be a minor cosmetic change, but it significantly affects how your audience views the data in the chart.

So use this chart for:

• Showing the rise and fall of various data series over time.
• Conveying total amounts over time.
• Emphasizing a part-to-whole relationship over time when one part is vast, or changes from being very large to very small.
• Showing change over time in individual panels of multiple small

Area graphs are the same as a regular Line Chart, with two exceptions:

• Firstly, the x-axis MUST BE ZERO.
• Secondly, the space between the x-axis and each line in the graph is filled with some color (possibly varying hue or opacity, depending on outcomes of your A/B testing).

How do you read this chart?

Always focus on how the values on the vertical axis change, up or down, as you progress from left to right along the horizontal axis.

Your audience’s perception is bound to change when you fill color between the line and the baseline, transforming the line Chart into an Area Line Chart.

Area Line Charts are colorful, eye-catching, and are uncommon enough that the novelty factor tends to draw attention. However, Line and Area Line Charts are not interchangeable due to how audiences perceive the different presentations of data. So use it only when you want to highlight the volatility of the trend. But be careful with how you use colors.

And this is because it could be your compelling story’s undoing.

  6. Vertical Axis Line Chart

A Vertical Axis Line Chart is useful for displaying metrics that contain very different ranges of values. It uses multiple axes to illustrate the relationships between multiple variables with different magnitudes and scales of measurement. It demonstrate how a particular data changes at equivalent intervals of time.

Data values in this chart are plotted as points connected using line segments. Use this chart to map continuous data sets over time. You can use this chart to visualize two metrics against time. The first variable assumes the position of a Line Chart, while the other one becomes the shaded part.

So how do you compare the performance of two variables using this chart?

Although this chart can accept 3 dimensions and one metric. But in one dimension column, you can use make the data in such a way that can lead to another metrics data in the same column.

The gap between the shaded part and the curve is the difference in the performance of the metric, as shown below. For instance, conversions are well below the number of clicks. On June 2017, the number of conversions was abnormally higher than other months.

The same chart can be used to show the same metric on current and previous data. E.g. you can show how particular metrics were performed on March 05 and Feb 05.

Now that you know the type of charts classified as Time Series, let’s jump into the meaty part of the blog. How to create these charts to visualize your data with ease practically.

We promise the examples will be amazingly simple. Yes, we’ll keep them stupid and simple.

So keep reading because you don’t want to miss this part.

How to Make Time Series Graphs: Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

Let’s start!

Line Chart

Imagine you run a business, and you want to know your annual conversion performance in a simple way.

The Line Chart is the go-to graph for the scenario. Let’s use the tabular data below for the sake of the discussion.

Topic	Count
Jan	50
Feb	55
Mar	80
Apr	60
May	85
Jun	110
July	90
Aug	95
Sep	115
Oct	108
Nov	117
Dec	130

• Start by exporting your table to Google Sheets.
• If you do not know how to use ChartExpo you can jump to our installation section in this blog.
• Deploy ChartExpo as follows Extensions > ChartExpo > Open.

• Then, scroll through the numerous chart templates until you see the Line Chart.

• Select the Sheet Name: add the relevant metric, which in our case is Conversion. Then select the dimension, which under time series is always TIME, as shown below.

Insights

• January is the lowest-performing On the other hand, December leads in revenue generated.
• Besides, January, April, and Feb are the next lowest-performing months on the list.
• June, Sept, and Dec are high-season And this is mainly due to a sudden spike in revenues accompanied by troughs.

Multi-series Line Chart

Please follow the same steps as above. Remember, the Multi-series Line Chart template is found in the List of Charts.

Imagine now you have 3 metrics you want to visualize to know their respective performances. Suppose our main 3 metrics are the following:

• Purchases
• Sales
• Expenses

How would you go about it?

Let’s get going with the sample tabular data below.

Year	Purchases $	Sales $	Expenses $
2013	100000	150000	50000
2014	60000	100000	30000
2015	140000	200000	100000
2016	120000	180000	80000
2017	170000	200000	90000
2018	130000	180000	40000

There goes our Multi-Series Line Chart

If your chart is different from this, please check whether you’ve input the correct metrics, which in our case are:

• Sales
• Purchase
• Expenses

Note: Dimensions in Time Series Graph examples are always units of time, such as months, days, weeks, etc.

Insights

• Sales, purchases, and expenses were at the LOWEST in 2014 and Jointly high in 2015 and 2017
• However, since then, Sales have been declining, although together with expenses and purchases, which is sustainable.

• As shown above, for sales to pick up, there’s a need for more investment in R&D to release more competitive products.

Dot Chart

Please follow the same steps as above.

Remember, the Dot Chart template is found in the List of charts.

Imagine Houston Methodist Hospital wants to allocate its resources efficiently based on the usage to minimize wastage. The local donors have announced cuts due to unfavorable economic conditions.

So you’ve been tasked by the hospital to conduct a survey to establish where hospital resources are consumed most and least. You run a survey that lasts a full year (12 months) to have enough data to create a compelling story for the management.

Essentially, you’re collecting the count of patients’ visits in various departments.

What’s the go-to survey tool for this survey?

Yes, you guessed right: use a Dot Chart because of the time element.

Let’s use the sample tabular data below for our example.

Month	Department	Cases
Jan	Emergency	200
Jan	Cardiology	150
Jan	Gynecology	110
Jan	Hematology	70
Jan	Nephrology	40
Jan	Neurology	0
Feb	Emergency	180
Feb	Cardiology	90
Feb	Gynecology	90
Feb	Hematology	90
Feb	Nephrology	45
Feb	Neurology	45
Mar	Emergency	80
Mar	Cardiology	80
Mar	Gynecology	80
Mar	Hematology	80
Mar	Nephrology	40
Mar	Neurology	40
Apr	Emergency	70
Apr	Cardiology	70
Apr	Gynecology	70
Apr	Hematology	70
Apr	Nephrology	35
Apr	Neurology	35
May	Emergency	60
May	Cardiology	60
May	Gynecology	60
May	Hematology	60
May	Nephrology	30
May	Neurology	30
Jun	Emergency	50
Jun	Cardiology	50
Jun	Gynecology	50
Jun	Hematology	50
Jun	Nephrology	25
Jun	Neurology	25
Jul	Emergency	40
Jul	Cardiology	40
Jul	Gynecology	40
Jul	Hematology	40
Jul	Nephrology	20
Jul	Neurology	20
Aug	Emergency	30
Aug	Cardiology	30
Aug	Gynecology	30
Aug	Hematology	30
Aug	Nephrology	15
Aug	Neurology	15
Sep	Emergency	25
Sep	Cardiology	25
Sep	Gynecology	25
Sep	Hematology	25
Sep	Nephrology	15
Sep	Neurology	15
Oct	Emergency	20
Oct	Cardiology	20
Oct	Gynecology	20
Oct	Hematology	20
Oct	Nephrology	15
Oct	Neurology	15
Nov	Emergency	15
Nov	Cardiology	15
Nov	Gynecology	15
Nov	Hematology	15
Nov	Nephrology	10
Nov	Neurology	10
Dec	Emergency	10
Dec	Cardiology	10
Dec	Gynecology	10
Dec	Hematology	10
Dec	Nephrology	5
Dec	Neurology	5

Let’s see how the chart looks like

Remember, each chart uses a different scale. The Line Chart uses the scale on the RIGHT side. Conversely, the scale for the greyed curve is on the LEFT.

Insights

• Wednesday leads with conversion (number of patients who visited and got treated)
• Friday, March 2^nd, has the lowest conversion rate, presumably due to poor customer service.
• Generally, the customer service in the hospital is poor due to the enormous disparity between patients’ visits and treatment.

When to use Time Series Graph:

If you want to craft a compelling story that provides actionable insights into trends, outliers, and other shifts, use Time Series charts. And this is because they’re straightforward to read and understand. Remember, simplicity is always at the core of every persuasive narrative.

There’s no doubt that people don’t like to be subjected to cognitive overload. So the simpler the message, the more compelling it becomes.

So, where do Time Series Graphs (and examples) come in?

Well, the human mind interprets visual images much faster than numbers and texts. So it makes sense to include visualizations in your story to make it more persuasive.

Creating Time Series Charts that complement your story seamlessly can be overwhelming. Especially if you don’t have a tool that allows you to highlight the insights you want your audiences to take home. Highlighting the key takeaways simplifies everything for the audience. And this increases their likelihood of taking the action you desire.

So let’s agree on this: Creating Time Series Graphs that are easy to read and understand do not have to be a time-consuming and energy-draining exercise.

Especially if you want to make your story more compelling to your target audience.

Best Tool to Create Time Series Graphs

Google Sheets is one of the most-used data visualization tools by people who work with data regularly. This is primarily due to its FREE access and user-friendly interface.

So this is the go-to data visualization tool for a majority of users. The PROBLEM with Google Sheets is that it comes with a shallow library of charts for you to test and select the one that complements your story seamlessly. Besides, you’re not granted unlimited FREEDOM to customize your data to highlight the insights you want audiences to ACT on.

These shortcomings are not as SIMPLE as they seem because they can make or BREAK your story.

So What’s The Solution?

Don’t get us wrong here.

We’re not saying you should do away with Google Sheets. Just supercharge it with a reliable and functional Add-on (which we’ll talk about in a moment) to create stories that inspire and drive CHANGE.

There’s an easy-to-use Add-on that transforms Google Sheets into a reliable data visualization monster called ChartExpo. And it comes with over 80-plus chart templates, including the 5 Time Series Graphs we’ve just covered.

Click on the ChartExpo tool and then press the blue Install bar on the resulting page.

This will begin the installation process. You may have to log in to your Google account and accept the plugin’s permissions. Once that is done, the add-on will install and be ready for use the next time you open Google Sheets.

Alternatively, you can download ChartExpo directly from the Google Sheets App. To get started, click on Extensions in the top toolbar.

In the small menu that appears, press the Add-ons to Get add-ons.

Search for ChartExpo in the bar and click the ChartExpo tool when it appears in the results.

Press the blue Install button. Again, you will have to accept some permissions and you may have to confirm your Google account.

• Now Open your Google Sheets application.
• Open the worksheet and click on the ‘Extensions’ menu.
• You’ll see the ‘ChartExpo — Best Data Visualization Tool’ option in the dropdown menu.
• Once you will select to open this, on your screen, you will find this section on your Google Sheets.

Congratulations if you’ve installed ChartExpo in your Google Sheets. Now, let’s do some exercises using the tool to enhance your understanding.

Wrap Up

There are many Time Series graph examples to enhance your understanding and expand your imagination.

These graphs plot data on the y-axis against an increment of time on the x-axis. Time Series visually highlights the data’s behavior and patterns and can lay the foundation for building reliable models, especially in business. You can create such charts very easily with the ChartExpo library.