What is a Radar Chart?
A radar chart (also called a spider chart, polar chart, or star plot) shows multivariate data. It is used to plot one or more groups of values over multiple (three or more) standard variables and compare them on a two-dimensional plane.
The name of this type of chart came from its shape within different axes emerging radially from one central point and – typically – are equally distributed.
The usage of radar chart
- Analysis
It displays how the value of a given concept is changed over different parameters.
- Decision-making
Mainly thanks to aggregating multiple data in one space, making data-based decisions can be more accessible.
The radar chart issue
Despite their advantages, there are some major flaws with this type of charts.
- First, multiple polygons in one chart can make it unreadable, especially if the polygons are filled in – the top polygon covers all the ones underneath it.
- Second, too many variables equal too many axes which also leads to confusing clutter.
- Third, radar charts are not the best choice when comparing values across each variable.