Add context to data using trendlines

If you are plotting monthly revenue from a particular store for a year, wouldn’t it make more sense to the viewer to see what the target was as well? Or last month’s average on a chart showing daily footfall at the store? By displaying targets, predictions, or average from a previous time period, we add more context to data. This allows the user to see if the sales for the month met the target or if the daily footfall was good at the store. The addition of context to the chart is done using trendlines.

In the previous screenshot, just by adding the trendlines, it is clear that the footfall is in line with November’s average and once the holiday season kicks in, it is all upwards from there on.