Bubble Charts

A bubble chart is a scatter plot where marker size represents a third dimension of the data. Bubble charts show two columns on the x and y axes, with marker sizes proportional to a third numeric column.

Basic bubble chart example

Here's an example of how to create a basic bubble chart.

Create a bubble chart of <X> vs. <Y>. Size by <Column>.

The following example uses this prompt structure with the weight, length, and shipping_time columns from the built-in Plotly Studio dataset:

Create a bubble chart of weight vs. length. Size by shipping time.
Shipping time is calculated as the difference between
shipped date and created date in days.

Bubble chart with color dimension

Add color to a bubble chart to represent a fourth column.

Create a bubble chart of <X> vs. <Y>. Size by <Column>, color by <Column>.

The following example uses this prompt structure with the weight, length, shipping_time, and defect columns from the built-in Plotly Studio dataset:

Create a bubble chart of weight vs. length.
Size by shipping time, color by defect.
Shipping time is calculated as the difference between
shipped date and created date in days.

Bubble chart with continuous color scale

Use a continuous color scale to map numeric values to color gradients.

Create a bubble chart of <X> vs. <Y>.
Size by <Column>, color by <Column>.
Use <scale_name> color scale.

The following example uses this prompt structure with the weight, length, and shipping_time columns from the built-in Plotly Studio dataset, using shipping_time for both size and color:

Create a bubble chart of weight vs. length.
Size by shipping time, color by shipping time.
Shipping time is calculated as the difference between
shipped date and created date in days.
Use Viridis color scale.

Interactive controls

Add dropdowns and other controls to make your bubble charts interactive. Controls let users filter and explore the data dynamically.

Create a bubble chart of weight vs. length.
Size by shipping time, color by defect.
Shipping time is calculated as the difference between
shipped date and created date in days.
Add a dropdown to select factory
(All, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Los Angeles, Montreal, Randstad) - Default All.
Add a dropdown to filter by weight range (All, 0-1 kg, 1-2 kg, 2-3 kg) - Default All.

Prompt keywords reference

Use these keywords and phrases in your prompts to customize your bubble chart.

Chart

Here are some keyword suggestions to create and customize a chart:

Keyword/Phrase	Description	Example
X	The variable to show on the horizontal axis	weight
Y	The variable to show on the vertical axis	length
Size	Make bubble sizes proportional to a numeric variable	size by shipping time
Color	Color bubbles by different groups or continuous values	color by factory location
Facet columns	Create multiple subplots side-by-side for each category	facet by factory location
Facet rows	Create multiple plots stacked vertically by group	facet vertically by defect

Data

Specify data instructions in your prompt to transform, filter, or aggregate your data before visualization.

Calculate shipping time as the difference between
shipped date and created date in days.
Average weight by factory location.

Here are some keyword suggestions:

Keyword/Phrase	Description	Example
Aggregation	Specify how to aggregate data	average weight by factory location
Computed field	Create new calculated fields from existing data	calculate shipping time as the difference between shipped date and created date in days
Filter	Filter data to show only specific records	filter to show only defect = true

Options

Specify options in your prompt to add interactive controls that allow users to dynamically filter, transform, and visualize data without regenerating the chart.

Add a dropdown to select factory (All, Osaka, Seoul) - Default All.
Add a dropdown to filter by weight range (All, 0-1 kg, 1-2 kg, 2-3 kg) - Default All.

Here are some keyword suggestions. See App Controls for a complete list of control types and additional examples.

Keyword/Phrase	Description	Example
Dropdown	Add a dropdown menu to filter by categories	Add a dropdown to select factory (All, Osaka, Seoul) - Default All

Chart styles

Specify chart styles in your prompt to control the visual appearance and formatting of your bubble chart.

Use custom colors: #FF5733, #33FF57, #3357FF.
Use Viridis color scale.
Set opacity to 0.6.
Add a linear trend line.

Here are some keyword suggestions:

Keyword/Phrase	Description	Example
Custom colors	Specify exact colors for categories or gradients	Use custom colors: #FF5733, #33FF57, #3357FF
Color scale	Specify color scale for continuous color mapping. See built-in color scales	Use Viridis color scale
Reverse color scale	Flip the direction of the color scale	Reverse color scale
Opacity	How see-through the bubbles are (0=invisible, 1=solid)	Set opacity to 0.6
Max bubble size	Set the maximum size for bubbles	Set maximum bubble size to 50
Hover text	What to show when hovering over bubbles	Show serial number on hover
Axis labels	Rename axis labels to be more readable	Label x-axis as "Product Weight (kg)" Label y-axis as "Product Length (cm)"
Trend line	Add a line showing the overall trend	Add a linear trend line
Logarithmic scale	Use log scale for large ranges (useful for exponential data)	Use logarithmic scale for the y-axis
Axis range	Set minimum and maximum values for axes	Set x-axis range from 0 to 3
Legend	Control legend display and position	Show legend at top right