Sequential Bar Chart

I call this the sequential bar chart – although there may well be another (better) name for it out there. This is a helpful graphic if you want to zero in on a particular area of interest, but want to put this in the context of a bigger picture. The example in the chart is based on a set of questions in a consumer survey. The key message of the chart is that a lot of consumers buy our product for reasons related to “price” or “cost/benefit” comparison. But you want to put this message in the context of how many consumers are aware of our product, and how many have actually purchased it in the last 12 months.

You can apply the same concept to other topics as well, for example an analysis of a firms cost structure: COGS represent 45% of our overall costs, and within that, Manufacturing Overhead represents 25%, and can itself be broken down into A, B and C.
It’s a good chart to use at the beginning of a presentation, to set the stage, define the context and then zero in on a specific topic.