The art of data visualization

Data Visualization in Excel

Agata Bak-Geerinck

Senior Data Analyst, Telenet

When less is more

White space

Banana export 1994-2005, version 1

An example of a really bad chart presenting banana export between 1994 and 2005

White space

Banana export 1994-2005, version 2

Improved version of the same chart

Data Visualization in Excel

Two dimensions OR three dimensions?

An example of a 3D chart

  • Hard to read the correct values
  • Perspective distorts the chart and confuses the eye

An example of a 2D chart

  • Easy to interpret
  • Versatile and distraction-free
Data Visualization in Excel

Labels, legends, and titles

White space

An example of a chart with no axis names, legends, data labels nor a clear title

White space

  • Not self-explanatory
  • Axis does not start at 0 and is misleading

An example of a chart with axis names and a clear title

  • Clear axes, labels, and informative title
  • Y-axis starting at 0 is the best practice
Data Visualization in Excel

Color: an ally or enemy?

An example of a bar chart where each bar is colored differently

  • "Rainbow" charts - colors bring no value
  • Avoid using red/amber/green in categorical legends

An example of the correct use of colors

  • Use color to draw attention to a data point
  • Repetition of color highlight in title strengthens the message
Data Visualization in Excel

The Great Chart Cleanse - decluttering of charts

An example of a chart with redundant labels, legends, and other unnecessary elements

  • Redundant axes and chart titles
  • Unnecessary legends

An example of a decluttered chart with no redundant labels, legends, and other unnecessary elements

  • Evaluate each chart element
  • "Less is more"
Data Visualization in Excel

Accentuating the main message like a pro

White space

Improved version of the bannana export chart

An icon representing a go - green circle with a white tick on it

  • Bring focus to selected chart elements
  • Use title and color to draw attention to the main message
  • Use labels sparingly to highlight main data points
  • Consider graying out or increasing the transparency of less important data points
Data Visualization in Excel

The lost art of "chartology": choosing the perfect graph

White space

Various chart types and chart use cases

An icon representing a go - green circle with a white tick on it

  • Each use case has a chart type (or two)
  • Experiment until chart looks good
  • Consider chart variants
  • Get inspiration:
    • DataCamp data viz cheat sheet
    • Storytelling with Data blog and book
1 https://www.datacamp.com/cheat-sheet/data-viz-cheat-sheet and https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/
Data Visualization in Excel

Let's practice!

Data Visualization in Excel

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