Spiffy Charts
Microsoft Office Online Training is the perfect example of what you should not learn about charts and data visualization.
Microsoft Office Online Training is the perfect example of what you should not learn about charts and data visualization.
Why are the true benefits of information visualization so hard to prove?
Animated charts are overrated. If you are using Excel, try to design a better user experience through interaction, not animation.
You need a better color palette for your Excel charts, but you are a mere mortal and your artistic skills are less than stellar. Hell, you can’t even choose the right tie for a suit! So, what do you do? (hint: watch the video below) Maybe we could ask Edward Tufte for advice. In Envisioning … Read more
Templates and defaults are very useful when you are not a subject-matter expert. You don’t have to know much, but if you choose the wrong templates you are on the wrong track. Cooking is a good example. I don’t know how to cook and, frankly, I don’t want to learn. But my wife is coming … Read more
It’s very easy to use charts to support false arguments, distortions, omissions or outright lies. But you can use words and statistics too. If you want to deceive nothing will stop you. (Required reading: How To Lie With Charts and How to Lie with Statistics). Simple lies are often easy to spot and not very … Read more
If you want to sell better data visualization practices you can’t use the same approach with everyone. Marketers use archetypes and like to create stories around them like if they were real people. Their marketing messages are then tailored for Jane (archetype #1) or Theresa (archetype #2). Let’s try this. Allow me to introduce you … Read more
You know, I would really love to quit my day job and spend my time learning about information visualization, write about it, help people understand why good information visualization skills are relevant for their business. Now, I could try to speed up things by selling some crappy affiliate products, fill up the blog with Google … Read more
From time to time, Seth Godin comes to visit our little field of information visualization, and I’m pleased to note that he is learning… Today’s post, “How to make graphs that work” is remarkably better than “The three laws of great graphs” or “How to make a PowerPoint chart”. Today he warns us against Excel … Read more
Are Excel charts, and Excel in general, a commodity, with no competitive advantage? Only if you want it to. Why? Because a vast majority of users: Have the data analysis skills of a toddler (or less); Can’t go beyond chart defaults; Functions? They know how to click the SUM() button; Don’t know what a dynamic … Read more