Compare and rank

Butterfly chart (opposing categories)

Places two series on opposite sides of a central category axis for comparison.

Chart
Comparison
Distribution

What it answers

How do two groups compare across shared categories?

Shape: Mirrored horizontal bars
What it shows: Paired differences and distribution shape.

Example

The question

What do online and store customers value most?

Share of customers naming each reason, online and in store

Mirrored bars, online to the left and in store to the right. Online: Price 62%; Range 48%; Speed 55%; Advice 12%; Returns 40%. In store: Price 38%; Range 30%; Speed 14%; Advice 58%; Returns 22%.

Illustrative data. It belongs to no company.

When to use it

Use it when

Two-group category comparisons.

Avoid it when

When leftward display is confused with negative values.

How to read it

Compare mirrored lengths for the same central label.

Note

Opposing directions need not represent negative values.

The data you need

Layout: Wide paired table
Fields: Category: text; First: number; Second: number
One row is: One category with two comparable measurements. What is the grain?
Rules: Both values need the same unit or a documented transformation. Identify which value is first.
Optional: Long alternative: Category,Condition,Value.
Preparation: Validate the input grain and missing values. Both values need the same unit or a documented transformation. Identify which value is first.
Units: Use the measured variable's stated unit consistently. No denominator is implied unless the value is a rate or proportion.

A wide table: one row per item, with a separate column for each measure or period.

Worked example

A has first 30, second 45; B has 34 and 40. Mirror positive values. Second exceeds first in both categories.

Category	First	Second
A	30	45
B	34	40

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