Bullet Chart: What it is and Where to Use it

Back in the day, reports and dashboards were filled with gauges and meters which took up space and were difficult to read. That is until Stephen Few came up with the bullet chart, also known as a bullet graph.

So what is this chart type, and what should you use it for? Let’s explain in detail.

What is a bullet chart/bullet graph?

A bullet chart or a bullet graph is a one-dimensional type of visualization used for showing progress or performance against a set target. Stephen Few designed it as a way to quickly show the most important data in a space-efficient and informative way.

The key components of a bullet chart are:

• Main bar: shows the actual performance of a metric (e.g. current revenue, churn rate), also called a reference line
• Target marker: vertical line showing the target or goal for a certain metric
• Performance ranges: shaded bands in the background that show qualitative ranges and intensities.

Bullet charts are one of the most popular types of charts across industries because of their simplicity and the ability to show a lot of information in a single visualization. You’ll find them in the most popular business intelligence tools, such as Luzmo of course, as well as Power BI, Tableau and similar.

The best use cases for bullet charts

It’s time to kiss dashboard gauges goodbye and stop using visualizations that look like they came out of Excel. Here’s a quick tutorial on the best use cases for a bullet graph.

Comparing performance against a target

When you want to show your current performance against a target, a bullet graph is the ideal tool for the job. The main bar is used to display the current performance (the actual value), while the vertical marker shows the target value you want to achieve.

If you only have a short amount of time to show your target audience one value with no additional context, this is what bullet charts are built for.

Showing progress towards goals

Similarly to the first use case, if your team is working on a KPI, you can show them two values instead of an entire dataset.

Visualizing key metrics (KPIs)

If you have little room to spare and there’s a small dashboard that needs to show powerful data points as a primary measure of success. Revenue, customer acquisition, profit: these are all displayed well with a bullet chart.

Highlighting performance bands

With colored bands in the background, you can add a qualitative scale to your visualization. For example, you can show poor, average, and good performance with background colors in three different sizes on a bullet chart.

When not to use bullet charts

While they seem versatile, bullet charts are not ideal visual elements for every type of data. Here is when you should avoid them.

• For complex or detailed data: bullet charts are best for high-level comparisons. If you have complex breakdowns or multiple variables, stacked bar charts or line graphs are a better option.
• For multiple categories: too many bullet charts in a single view can confuse the reader because of all the data points instead of giving them a quick data breakdown.
• For tracking trends over time: this is not the strong side of bullet charts. Use line charts or area charts instead.
• For doing highly precise comparisons: for precise numerical values or a comparative measure with small differences, it’s better to use tables or dot plots.
• For cases with limited familiarity: if your audience is not familiar with bullet charts and how they are interpreted, you may add a tooltip to help them understand, or simply replace the bullet chart with something more widely used to visualize data.

Top tips for this visualization type

If you want to make the most out of bullet charts, keep these tips in mind.

• Keep it simple: use a bullet chart to convey one main point and not more than that
• Limit the number of metrics: group similar metrics together and try not to use more than one or two at a time
• Use clear performance ranges: define your background bands and their colors clearly so the reader has no problems interpreting the bullet chart
• Highlight key targets: the target marker should be easy to see so the reader can determine the performance against the goal
• Provide context to the reader: label the value, targets and performance ranges clearly so there are no misunderstandings
• Mind your sizes and proportions: the length of the bullet chart should be proportional in scale to avoid misinterpretations
• Use bullet charts sparingly: bullet charts are for key metrics, not showing data. Use them in prominent places to showcase the most important results at a glance
• Combine with other visualization types: combine bullet charts with other visualization types to tell a story, such as a bar graph, column chart or a trend line

Visualize your data with Luzmo

Do you want to add data visualization capabilities to your software? With Luzmo, you can embed dashboards directly in your product, with a large variety of chart types and widgets. Thanks to our API and a wide range of integrations, hooking up Luzmo to your software is a breeze.

Grab a free demo with our team to see how Luzmo can help visualize data in your product!