My least favorite charts of all time include clustered bar charts, 3D exploding pie charts, and line charts with two y axes. By now, hopefully you know my style. I’m not just going to complain about a graph without offering an alternative. Sometimes we need…
Pivot tables are the fastest, easiest way to make sense of your data, and they’re easier than you think. In this post, I’ll show you how to insert a pivot table and then drag and drop variables to find patterns in your spreadsheet. Step 1:…
In my prior post, I sketched a few options for a performing arts organization’s fictional ticket sales data: I intentionally separated the year-by-year bars from the total bar with a little extra space. I don’t want all the bars mushed together. Easy to sketch…
I’m back from a brief blogging break! I’ve spent the past few months speaking and designing – mainly designing. The reports and slideshows I’ve consulted on are starting to be published and it’s been so rewarding to watch organizations’ drafts transform into well-articulated masterpieces. A…
Viewer considerations are key: What type of information do your viewers need to see? What information do they already have? What information are they expecting? How many points in time should be included? Will you present aggregated or disaggregated findings? How long do you anticipate…