Unit 1: Presenting Data with Charts
We often use charts to organize our data and help our audience visualize information and grasp concepts more quickly. Choosing the right chart type depends on the message you wish to convey for the data you present. For example, use a pie chart to compare sales totals from a company's five or six branch offices. However, a pie chart will not convey sales trends over five years; a line or scatter plot is more appropriate for visualizing trends over time.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 3 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- construct a line, column/bar, pie, and stacked column/bar chart;
- choose the appropriate type of chart for the given data;
- apply formatting changes to all areas of a chart, including the title, plot, and data series;
- create separate chart sheets for an embedded chart in a worksheet; and
- explain how to use linked charts in Word and PowerPoint.
1.1: Types of Charts in Spreadsheet Programs
Spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets have various chart options. In this section, we explore a few commonly used charts available in these spreadsheet programs and how to create them.
Watch this Microsoft Excel tutorial on creating column, line, and pie charts. When the author changes the data in the original worksheet, the data automatically changes in the chart. This is one of the great features of making charts in a spreadsheet program: any changes you make to your data will automatically update your chart.
Watch this tutorial on how to make a stacked bar (or stacked column) chart. These charts help present comparisons among groups. The author makes a regular bar chart and then a stacked bar chart to compare data from different groups.
Making charts using Google Sheets is similar to Excel. Watch these four videos to explore how to create each chart type in Google Sheets.
1.2: Choosing a Chart Type
The best chart to use depends on the nature of your data and what you want to communicate to your audience. For example, line charts are best for showing trends over time: the x-axis represents time, and the y-axis is the quantity of what is being measured. Line charts are suitable for presenting interest rate trends over time or reviewing yearly income. A pie graph is good for comparing small groups (emphasizing small), such as sales in different branches of the same company. A stacked column or bar graph is good for comparing categories of items, such as various types of survey data.
Watch this Microsoft Excel tutorial on presenting data in a chart using ALT FI, Quick Analysis, and Recommended Charts. If you are unsure about the best chart, these methods can help you get started.
Read this text to review each primary chart type and the steps for creating them. Be sure to study when it is more appropriate to use specific charts than others.
1.3: Formatting Charts
The format you use for your Microsoft Excel charts should clarify your data to your audience. For example, you can use different fonts and type styles to make the title, axes titles, axes units, legend, and colors stand out so they are easily decipherable. You can embed your chart in your current worksheet, place it on a separate worksheet, or link it in a presentation or Word document.
Watch this video to see how the author formatted the title, axes, and colors for a series of column charts.
Read this Microsoft Excel tutorial to learn tips for formatting various elements of your chart, such as the axes, title and legend, data series labels, plot area, and annotations. Each section provides step-by-step guidance with screenshots on how to perform the formatting.
Watch this video to learn how to use charts in Excel and other Microsoft Office products.