Figures and Visualization
Use this section when your main question is which figure type best matches your data and message, and where to start among the figure-specific pages.
Use Figures and Visualization when your main question is how to show a pattern in your data clearly: group differences, distributions, relationships, time trends, composition, multivariable structure, model diagnostics, or survival-related results.
This section helps you choose the right figure family and the right figure page to read next. It is for selecting and understanding figure types, not for open-ended custom chart design, arbitrary figure styling, or deciding which statistical method is valid for your study.
Start here
Choose the page that best matches the pattern you want readers to see:
| If you want to... | Start with... |
|---|---|
| compare grouped distributions compactly | Box Plot |
| keep individual observations visible in a group comparison | Strip Plot |
| show effect size and uncertainty rather than a significance-first summary | Estimation Plot |
| show the relationship between two numeric variables | Scatter Plot |
| add a fitted trend to a relationship figure | Regression Plot |
| show change across time, dose, passage, or another ordered axis | Line Chart |
| show how one whole divides into categories | Pie Chart |
| compare composition across several groups | Stacked Bar Chart |
| scan many variables or samples for matrix-like patterns | Heatmap |
| inspect reduced-space multivariable structure cautiously | PCA Biplot |
| review residual behavior or reference-distribution compatibility | Q-Q Plot |
| show time-to-event comparison | Kaplan-Meier Curve |
What you will find in this section
Distribution and Group Comparison
Use Distribution and Group Comparison when your figure question is about spread, overlap, group differences, or whether raw observations should remain visible.
Typical pages include Box Plot, Violin Plot, Strip Plot, Histogram, Dot Plot, and Raincloud Plot.
Association and Regression
Use Association and Regression when your figure choice depends on correlation, fitted trends, dense point clouds, or agreement between two measurements.
Typical pages include Scatter Plot, Regression Plot, Bubble Chart, Density Contour (2D), and Bland-Altman Plot.
Time and Longitudinal
Use Time and Longitudinal when the ordered progression itself is part of the message, such as timepoint, dose, date, or passage.
The main starting page is Line Chart.
Part to Whole
Use Part to Whole when the question is composition: what share of the total each category represents, either for one whole or across groups.
Typical pages include Pie Chart, Donut Chart, and Stacked Bar Chart.
Multivariate and Clustering
Use Multivariate and Clustering when you need to inspect many variables at once, grouped profiles, reduced-space views, or candidate cluster structure.
Typical pages include Heatmap, Parallel Coordinates, PCA Biplot, and Hierarchical Clustering Heatmap.
Diagnostic Plots
Use Diagnostic Plots when your question is whether a fitted model or sample looks concerning from a diagnostics point of view.
Typical pages include Q-Q Plot and Residual Plot.
Survival and Specialized Scientific
Use Survival and Specialized Scientific when your figure question is survival-native, classification-performance focused, or otherwise narrower than a general relationship or distribution chart.
Typical pages include Kaplan-Meier Curve, ROC Curve, Volcano Plot, and Forest Plot.
If you need a different section
Leave Figures and Visualization and go elsewhere if one of these is your real need:
- Decide which statistical test, model, or analysis path fits your question -> Decision Guides or Methods
- Check assumptions, warnings, or disclosure logic in depth -> Quality Checks
- Confirm file format, table shape, or required columns before analysis -> Data Requirements
- Understand Licklider's overall scope and product boundaries -> What This Product Does
What this section does not cover
- Open-ended custom chart design or arbitrary figure customization
- A guarantee that any figure can be freely adapted to any study design
- Statistical method selection, assumption validation, or confirmatory interpretation by itself
- Full product-level scope boundaries that belong in What This Product Does
Where to go next
If your main question is grouped distributions or raw observations, start with Distribution and Group Comparison.
If your main question is relationship, trend, or agreement, go to Association and Regression.
If your main question is time progression, go to Time and Longitudinal.
If your main question is composition, go to Part to Whole.
If your main question is many variables, clustering, residuals, or survival-style displays, continue to Multivariate and Clustering, Diagnostic Plots, or Survival and Specialized Scientific.