All business owners know that data is crucial for business success, but they don’t always know the best ways to interpret that data. Data visualization can provide extraordinary insight that can’t be gleaned from text alone, and there are so many data visualization methods that can be used, including bar charts, line charts, and treemap charts. Keep reading to learn more about treemap charts, including different types of treemap charts and when to use them.

 

What is a treemap chart?

A treemap chart is a data visualization technique that is used to show the relative sizes of items in a data set. The items are typically displayed as rectangles, with the area of each rectangle proportional to the value of the item. Treemap charts are often used to visualize hierarchical data, such as the sales data for different products in a store. In this type of data, the items are arranged in a hierarchy, with the highest-level items at the top and the lowest-level items at the bottom. Treemap charts can also be used to show the distribution of values within a data set. For example, a treemap chart could be used to show the distribution of salaries for different jobs in a company. In this type of data, the items would be arranged by job title, and the size of the rectangle for each job would be proportional to the number of employees with that job title.

Some specific treemap examples include displaying the size of files and folders on a computer, the distribution of products by category in a store, the distribution of sales by region, and the distribution of web traffic by country.

 

What are the different types of treemap charts?

There are many different types of treemap charts, but they all share the same basic structure. The most common type of treemap chart is a color-coded treemap. In a color-coded treemap, the data items are assigned different colors, and the colors are used to indicate the hierarchy. For example, a color-coded treemap might use different shades of blue to indicate the different levels in the hierarchy.

Another type of treemap chart is the heat map treemap, which uses colors to indicate the intensity of the data values. The darkest colors represent the highest values and the lightest colors represent the lowest values. This type of treemap can be a very effective way to visualize data because it allows you to see how the different values are distributed within the data. Additionally, it can be helpful to see how the values are related to each other. For example, you may be able to see that there is a strong correlation between the different data values.

A third type of treemap chart is the gradient treemap, which uses a gradient to indicate the data values. One advantage of using a gradient to represent data values is that it makes it easy to see the distribution of values at a glance. In addition, it can be helpful to use different colors to indicate different ranges of values. For example, you could use light blue for low values, dark blue for medium values, and purple for high values.

 

How can businesses use treemap charts?

Treemap charts are extremely versatile tools that businesses can use in a variety of ways. Some specific ways businesses can use treemap charts include:

• Visualizing data hierarchies: A treemap chart can be a great way to visualize data hierarchies, such as the levels of a company’s organizational chart or the product categories and subcategories in a product catalog.
• Showing proportions: A treemap chart can be used to show the proportions of different data items in a given category. For example, you could use a treemap to show the relative market shares of different companies in a given industry.
• Comparing data: You can use a treemap chart to compare data between different categories. For example, you could use a treemap to compare the sales figures of different products in a given category.
• Summarizing data: A treemap chart can be used to summarize data in a concise and easy-to-understand way. For example, you could use a treemap to show the total sales figures for products.
• Showing trends: A treemap chart can be used to show trends in data over time. For example, you could use a treemap to show the sales figures for different products in a given category over just the past year.

In summary, treemaps are among the most efficient and insightful ways to visualize data. They offer an at-a-glance view of how your data is structured and can help you identify patterns and trends that might not be visible in a standard table or chart. This can be extremely valuable for business success, as it can help you make more informed decisions about where to allocate your resources and how to improve your operations and bottom line.