Relationship

Scatterplot with smoothing curve

Adds a flexible smooth estimate to reveal a possibly nonlinear relationship.

What it answers

Does the relationship appear nonlinear?

The question

How does customer satisfaction change with delivery time?

Dots for 25 customer groups and a smoothed curve. Satisfaction holds near 9 up to about 3 days, then falls faster, to about 6 at 10 days.

Illustrative data. It belongs to no company.

Exploring form without forcing a straight line.

Sparse observations or smoothing choices that manufacture patterns.

Compare the smooth curve with the scatter and inspect data support.

Specify the smoothing method.

Layout: Long table
Fields: X: number; Y: number
One row is: One observation with paired numeric measurements. What is the grain?
Rules: X and Y must refer to the same observation. Do not independently sort either column.
Optional: Optional ID,Group,Weight. Binning and smoothing settings belong to chart configuration.
Preparation: Choose and fit a stated smoother, retain raw observations and document the smoothing parameter.
Units: State the unit of every coordinate/variable. A unitless transformed or standardised scale must be identified; no common denominator is assumed.

A long table: one row per observation, few columns. New data adds rows.

Points(1,1),(2,4),(3,9). A suitable smooth may reveal upward curvature; retain points and disclose the method.