Jitter plot
Scattered dots per category. What the jitter plot is for, the data it needs and every option it has.
2 min read
On this page
Scattered dots per category. It sits in the Distribution group of the widget library.
When to use it#
Use a jitter plot to show every value in each group as a dot, nudged sideways at random so dots with the same value do not sit on top of each other. It helps when many transactions share round amounts, such as recurring $9.99 charges across accounts.
When to pick something else#
- Want a tidy, packed layout that shows density? Use a Beeswarm.
- Values rarely repeat? A Strip plot is cleaner.
- Thousands of values? Summarise with a Box plot or Violin.
- Two number fields, not a group and a number? Use a Scatter plot.
The data it needs#
Pick these in the Data tab of the inspector. BankSync suggests a column for each when your source has an obvious match.
| Field | Needed | Pick | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Optional | a category | |
| Value | Yes | a number | |
| Series | Optional | a category |
Each row is drawn as it is, so shape the rows first if you need totals. See Shaping data.
Jitter plot options#
This chart has no options of its own; everything on its Style tab is the shared chart styling below.
Shared chart styling#
Every chart also has the shared styling options. These apply to this one:
- Legend: position, layout and which series show.
- Axes: titles, tick labels and number format.
- Grid, title, padding and background.
- Value labels on the marks.
- Categories and labels: top N with "Other", sort order, readable labels, the handwritten callout.
- Style: corner radius, line width, opacity and animation.
- Tooltip on hover.
- Click to filter: clicking a mark can filter the rest of the dashboard. See Filters and cross-filtering.
- Colours: follow the dashboard palette or pick one for this chart.
Messy data#
- Blank or non-numeric values are skipped. With none left you see "No numbers to show".
- The sideways offset means nothing; only the height of a dot matters. Offsets are fixed per group, so adding a row in one group never reshuffles another.
- Above 2,000 values the chart samples evenly and notes "Showing 2,000 of …".
- Dots fade as a group gets busier, so crowded areas look darker.
- Too many groups for the width fold into "Other (n)", keeping the groups with the most values.
On a phone#
On a full-width phone card each group's column is narrow, so dots overlap more. A few groups read fine; for many groups a Box plot is easier to scan.
Related charts#
- Scatter plot: Two measures on x/y
- Histogram: Distribution of one measure
- Box plot: Quartiles with whiskers
- Violin: Density per category
- Beeswarm: Non-overlapping dot plot
- Density: Kernel-smoothed distribution
- Ridgeline: Stacked distributions
- Strip plot: Each value as a tick
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