Excel is one of the best tools used to create simple yet effective charts to represent data. The data visualization of charts helps one quickly communicate insights, draw trends, and make data more understandable. Here’s a quick guide on how to use Excel charts effectively:
1. Choice of Suitable Graph
There are several options for the type of graph, and the first step is to choose the right one. Here’s a simple breakdown of the most commonly used ones:
Column and Bar Charts: Best for categorical comparisons. Use them whenever you have a few things you want to compare-say, sales across various months or product categories.
Line Charts: Good for showing how something changes over time. Line charts are excellent if you’re working with continuous data, such as monthly sales or website traffic over a year.
Pie Charts: Good for showing pieces of a whole. Use pie charts sparingly and only when you have one data series and you need to see percentages.
Scatter Plots: Useful for showing the relationship between two variables, such as height vs. weight.
Combo Charts: useful for combining two types of data. For instance, combining a bar and line graph to show month-by-month sales (bars) next to a running total (line).
2. Chart in Excel
Making a chart in Excel is easy. Here’s how to do it:
Select Your Data: Select the cells that contain your data. For example, if you want to represent monthly sales, select a column with the months and a column with the number of sales.
Insert the Chart: Locate the Insert tab of your Excel ribbon. There are options for several different charts available. Select the one you feel best suits your data needs, such as Column or Line.
Personalize Your Chart: Now that your chart is in place you can change it to customize it to fit your style. Click on your chart and you’ll find you have a selection of menu items under Chart Tools in order to include titles or change colors and chart styles.
3. Personalize Your Graph
Key is to make the chart more attractive and readable for effectively visualizing data. Here are some ways you could customize it.
Add Title: A title always helps people know what to expect from your chart. To add and edit a title, click on Chart Title.
Label Your Axes: For charts with an x- and y-axis, use axis labels to describe what each side represents. Move to Chart Tools > Layout > Axis Titles.
Use Data Labels: If you want values to appear directly on the chart (such as sales numbers on each bar), activate Data Labels through the Chart Elements menu.
Consistent colors: Using consistent colors for similar data points helps the reader grasp the information faster. Avoid over-coloring because it will only clatter your chart.
4. Finishing Work
A clean chart is visually appealing and easy to understand. Here are a few final touches:
Remove Unnecessary Gridlines: Too many gridlines make a chart messy. Click on the chart, select Chart Elements, and uncheck the box for gridlines if you do not need them.
Legend: It is used as an explanation to the data series. You may size it, change the color, or just eliminate it if not very contributory to the chart.
Trendlines: On a line graph, these trend lines explain general movements of the data in terms of an upwards or downwards movement for quite a long time and are beneficial when studying trends.
To tell a visual story from your raw data, Excel charts are very helpful. Proper selection of chart and simple modification will allow you to develop very clear and efficient communication of data insights. Just try and see what one best represents your data.