Time Comparison Support for Bar Charts

What is the problem or goal the end user is trying to solve or accomplish?

The user wants to visually compare time periods in bar charts by displaying percentage differences directly on the chart. This would allow for quick performance assessments, making it easier to identify trends without manual calculations or switching to other views.

How are they solving it currently?

Currently, users must rely on workarounds that are inefficient:

• Manually calculating percentage differences and displaying them in table visualizations instead of bar charts.

• Exporting data to external tools (e.g., spreadsheets, BI platforms) to calculate and visualize the percentage change separately.

• Adding a secondary metric to bar charts, which shows absolute values but does not provide a clear percentage-based comparison.

These methods add complexity and slow down data interpretation.

What is the recommended solution by the Customer?

The user suggests enhancing bar charts by:

✅ Adding an optional percentage difference label next to or behind the current period’s bar.

✅ Automatically calculating the percentage change between the selected time period and a prior comparison period.

✅ Ensuring clarity in visualization, possibly by using color-coding or formatting to highlight increases/decreases.