good ol' excel is the ultimate data visualization tool (in most cases)

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Good Ol' Excel Is The UltimateData Visualization Tool (In MostCases)

Posted by Cyrille Vincey

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Since our post about Infographics, a *lot* of people,stunned by Tufte's "less is more" gif, have been askingus lately what's our recommendation for a datavisualization package.

Considering the size of their datasets, and the kind ofstory they wanna tell, our answer has been invariablythe same: "Well, use your dusty ol' Excel". Surprisingisn't it?

Data Visualization, you said?

I already wrote earlier that we want to stay away fromthis mainstream worship of the Infographics golden

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Why We HateInfographics (And WhyYou Should)Good Ol' Excel Is TheUltimate DataVisualization Tool (InMost Cases)Data Visualization 101

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calf. Instead, we want to stick with the DataVisualization Tables of the Law, given by God toEdward Tufte:

1. Talk to my eye, not to my brain: rely onproven types of visualization to make sure you

2. Less is more: suppress everything that's notabsolutely usefull for the understanding of achart

3. One chart = one takeaway: when looking atyour chart, I should be able to infer yourmessage in a snap

4. Tell a story: build a directed sequence ofmessages

"Take this, Edward Tufte, and tell your disciples atqunb

this is the worst introduction ever in the History ofBlogging"

Is there a Raise and Fall of Excelas a Data Visualization tool?

I've been a consultant for, well, too long. Excel was mybitch. Unfortunately, I have to concede that Microsoftmissed the boat of modern Data Visualizations.

Posts by Topic

Tutorials (11)Data Storytelling (9)Life (7)Fun (4)Updates (2)



People are now expecting well designed, webby, andinteractive data visualizations. Hence data nerds haveturned to advanced data analysis tools like Tableau.

If you're a quant, and if you can afford the time andthe money, that's an awesome tool. But if you aren't,you're stuck with Excel, and its shitty charts.

This is why qunb was created: to help anyone toseamlessly create and tell visual stories. Today withyour Google Analytics data (check it out), tomorrowwith SalesForce, and in 2014 with any excel data.

The wait is killing you? Well, meanwhile, is Excel thatbad?

Yes, default charts in Excel looklike they were done by yourfather in 1993

Let's take as a simple dataset of the latest fundingdeals, based on Form D information. By default,here's how a chart on that dataset would look like:

Ugly, pointless...

But don't cry! Excel is (still) the



Ultimate Data Visualization toolin most cases

Yes, my friends, no need to waste time nor money tostart mastering a complex data visualization package.

We can do a pretty good job at publishing goodlooking charts, with regard to the current design bestpractices, only by using the standard versionof Excel.

Provided that you don't need interactive charts(charts enabling data discovery for the reader), normaps, nor fancy visualization types that your readerwill probably struggle to read anyway.

If you just need good looking modern - yet static -charts, like donuts, 2D charts, Excel is still the bestoption. Doubtful? Well, go through the data storybelow, 100% made with Excel. Then we'll see the tips& tricks to issue those kind of charts.

Here's a 100%-Excel visual storyof startup funding

First let's focus on the proportion of tech deals vsdeals in other industries:



Then let's show how this proportion evolves overtime:

Now we're intrigued. Is this trend compensated bythe size of funding deals? Let's see:

So, what does the global amount raised look like?



That's it for today. I know, it's frustrating. Be patient,we're baking a complete and compelling data storywith this dataset of funding deals data. Crispy,unexpected things lying in this data.

So if you need to leave us now...

Subscribe to email updates to getSubscribe to email updates to getthe complete startup funding datathe complete startup funding data

storystory

Ok, you're still here? Let's look together how to makeyour excel charts look like this.

Our 8-step recipe to "tufterize"your excel charts

I wont cover in this section the tips and tricks for datadiscovery and data analysis with Excel, I'll keep that



for a later post. Soon, I promise. We'll talk aboutaggregation, clustering, segmentation, made easywith excel. Can't wait.

For now, Let's only talk here about visualimprovements to turn the default excel chart intoone of those charts. Build your pivot table, then buildyour default chart (here a stacked column: Chart >Column > Stacked Column):

Then move the chart to a new page (right click > Movecharts > New sheet).

#1. Start with deleting all the visualpollution

Delete the legend, the horizontal gridlines, and the Yaxis.



#2. Color set : one vivid color, and grays.No more.

Double-click on each category (blue, red, green, ...),then go:

in the "Fill" menu: change to colorin the "Line" menu: apply the same colorin the "Shadow" menu: disable the "shadow"option

#3. Optimize the x axis

Double-click on the x axis, then go:

in the "Ticks" menu: select "Major Tick Mark



in the "Ticks" menu: select "Major Tick Mark

Type" [none]In the "Fill" menu: change Color from[Automatic] to [No Fill]in the "Line" menu : change Color from[Automatic] to [no Line]

Then tweak the x axis labels:

Change the font (Calibri smells MS Office likehell). I personally like "Century Gothic".Enlarge the fontChage the Font Color (black => gray)

#4. Add Data Labels

Legends should be banned from Excel. You shouldmake sure you use direct labelling only, not only forvalues, but also for your categories. Here is a littletrick.

First add data labels on every category (right click >"Add Data Labels"). Change the font, the font size, andthe font color.



#5. Delete useless labels

You should keep only the values you want yourreader to pay attention to. Usually, only extremevalues are really helpful to support your message.

Select useless labels one by one and delete them. Justkeep one useless label by category (you'll use it as alegend in the next step).

#6. Add direct labelling to your chart

For each "useless" data label you kept in the previousstep, double-click on it, then in the dialog box



in the "Labels“ menu: uncheck "Value", andcheck "Series name"In the "Font" menu: change the "Font Color" tothe color of your category (here, red or gray)

Then select the Plot area (click somewhere in anempty place in the chart zone) and select the righthandle to reduce the chart width a bit and let someroom for the category names. At last, move thecategory names you just created on the right to placethem as category legends.

#7. Add an explicit takeaway to your chart

Even if you think your chart is self-explanatory, youshould add a title to comment your chart. You shouldalso make sure that this comment explains what thechart is talking about. Global amounts raised?Turnover? ...

If your comment does not explicitely tell the readerwhat the chart is actually about, make sure you add atechnical description of your chart somewhere (ex:"Cumulated turnover of...").



#8. Remove frames and borders

If you copy your chart like this, you'll see an uglyborder. Go in the "Chart Format" dialog box (rightclick outside the plotting area > "Format Chart Area").Then

In the "Fill" menu: change Color from[Automatic] to [No Fill]In the "Line" menu: change Color from[Automatic] to [No Line]

Your chart is ready to get copied and paste whereveryou want.

Congrats, your data looks betternaked, just with excel

To conclude, here's a Darkhorse Analytics's awesomegif summarizing this loooooong post.



Now, if you prefer to see thefuture in action...

Shut up and let me test qunb withmy Google Analytics

Topics: Data Storytelling

Published on Oct 16, 2013 2:07:00 PM

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• Reply •

CO • 7 months ago

Most of your changes are decent, but removinglines and axes and using "direct labeling" is anamateur hour mistake often mocked in intro statsor data visualization courses. Everything else up tothat is fine, but once you start messing with thenatural guidelines the brain uses to line things up,you're asking for trouble.

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• Reply •

irinai • 6 months ago CO

Don't intro stats use terrible-looking charts?

• Reply •

CO • 6 months ago irinai

What kind of intro stats did youtake?

1

• Reply •

josep2 • 7 months ago

I agree with a lot of what it written here. I will sayexcel is very limited with certain kinds of plots.Anything outside of what you demonstrated here, itfalls apart.

3

Cyrille Vincey • 7 months ago josep2

Thanks for your comment. You are right, butthe kind of visualizations I've used in thispost represent 100% of the kind of chartsI've used in my whole consulting lifetime.(oh, I forgot maps)What I mean here is that more complexrepresentations (say bubble charts, plots, ...)are good as WIP for analysts exploring data,

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• Reply •

are good as WIP for analysts exploring data,but not good for the final restitution of astory based on data.

1

• Reply •

Hubi • 7 months ago

Cyrille Vincey

Excel 2003 maybe but if you guyshaven't seen what's happening withExcel since the free PowerPivot add-in was released then you need to getwith the program.

http://www.powerpivotpro.com/

• Reply •

Privat Privat • 2 months ago

Hubi

*Excel 2003= Good timesExcel in the webbrowser= Horrible experience

waynergf • 7 months ago

Argh! Amazing - a blog posting that purports toillustrate good visualization practices litters one ofthe worst practices throughout: stacked barcharts...and of data that occur over time yet!

As Tufte has pointed out, the purpose of graphs isto allow meaningful comparisons that provokequestions and thus begin the processes ofdiscovery and learning - ultimately leading to gooddecisions.

Stacked bar charts obscure comparisons becausethe reference point / line / plane for each of thestacked portions changes with each bar - badpractice. Data over time should be plotted overtime - using the appropriate Statistical ProcessControl (SPC) chart so that random variation("Common Causes") may be distinguished fromreal effects ("Special Causes"). This is criticalbecause the two types of variation require differentactions; when the two are confused the decisions

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actions; when the two are confused the decisionsmade and the actions taken make matters (theprocess' performance) worse.

["In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man isking."]

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• Reply •

Jordan Goldmeier • 7 months ago

waynergf

I was thinking the same thing - perhaps nothas harshly - but it's fair to say Tufte wouldnot approve of the solution attributed to himhere.

• Reply •

The Daily Graph • 7 months ago

Couldn't have said it better. There is a blog at http://www.apptrac.net/en/blog... about usingExcel to re-create charts that have appeared on the websiteof The Economist. It's all plain-vanilla Excel, no macros or VBA, andyou can download workbooks with the charts for free.

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• Reply •

Cyrille Vincey • 7 months ago

The Daily Graph

Awesome site, we've just spent 1h onapptrac. Thanks for the link!

• Reply •

Chris • 7 months ago

Might want to fix the typo unless this was done onpurpose. Also, great post. Never thought aboutsimplifying the charts to make them look moreelegant.

"To conclude, here's a Darkhorse Analytics'sawesome gif summarizing this loooooonb post."

• Reply •

Cyrille Vincey • 7 months ago Chris

Oops. Done. Thanks Chris.

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• Reply •

Guest • a month ago

No Python3 support is a deal-breaker - you'resaying we should be happy to wait for years for thispackage to mature only to be writing with a 10+year old featureset? No thanks. I wish this projectall the best but I can't support it in goodconscience, for the Python community as a whole.

Rui Quintino • 3 months ago

Hi there,

Hot thread :) thought in adding our small app forinstant Excel data visualization, called smartcharts

http://rquintino.wordpress.com...

Feedback from the experts would be great! :)

Regards,Rui Quintinohttp://rquintino.wordpress.com...

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