This book teaches you to use the ICU in four stages:

1. Background information.
   Leads you through the things you must know before you start. It introduces charts, and the ICU panels you will use to create them.
   This stage starts in the next topic.

2. Getting your chart.
   Shows you two ways of creating a chart:
   • Ready-made charts: pick a complete chart style from just two picture menus.

   • Step-by-step charts: design a chart a step at a time using a series of picture menus.

   Choose the way that suits you and the complexity of chart you need.
   This stage starts at Chapter 4, "Learning 2 - Getting your chart" in topic 1.4.

3. The five steps of chart drawing.
   Shows you how to develop your first charts. This is a "cookbook" that you can follow to produce the sort of chart you want from any set of data. Producing any one chart should take less than 30 minutes.
   This stage starts at Chapter 5, "Learning 3 - The five steps of chart drawing" in topic 1.5.

4. Making the most of the ICU.
   This gives you an introduction to the skills you need to become an expert user of the ICU. This stage contains a lot of information. The first stage, "Guided tour" in topic 1.6.1, will take you about an hour. Other stages are more for reading or reference than for working through, though it will help if you use the ICU as you read the book.
   This stage starts at Chapter 6, "Learning 4 - Making the most of the ICU" in topic 1.6.
   Turn to the stage you want now, or, if you want to skip learning altogether, turn to Chapter 7, "Chart types" in topic 2.1.