"Visualizations in Excel" - Highlights

Key takeaways from Episode #20 - Visualizations in Excel of Bill Shander's Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, and Information Design - Lesson and Listen Series:

Excel has improved over time, particularly with default settings, but still requires customization for optimal data visualization.

Excel tips from the episode:

  • Use color sparingly.  Highlight key data with selective use of color.
  • Customize fonts, colors, and chart types to move beyond Excel's defaults, making the visuals more impactful.
  • Be familiar with Copy > Paste Special > Transpose.
  • Utilize Power Query for data transformation. 

In the interview section, Stephanie Evergreen, author of Effective Data Visualization & co-creator of the Data Visualization Checklist, shares her insights on Excel as a data viz tool.

She showcases a breast cancer data visualization makeover, emphasizing the impact of thoughtful chart choices on storytelling.

Overlapping bar chart is appropriate for graphing data when the two variables are inherently interrelated, like incidence and mortality.

Common Issues with Excel: Default Excel settings, especially for colors and chart elements, often need adjusting. Additionally, exporting high-quality images and creating interactive graphs are challenging.

Despite limitations, Excel remains popular due to its accessibility and versatility, particularly for those with limited resources.

The choice of visualization tools depends on the specific needs and resources available. 

Tableau is recommended for complex mapping and interactive dashboards that need to be embedded on websites.

Tableau and Power BI each have their strengths and limitations. 

Power BI, Excel's sister product, has limitations but includes Power Query. 

Data literacy and understanding the data story are crucial for effective visualization. 

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