I recently saw a boring, black and white table as I was scrolling through LinkedIn.

The topic caught my attention—it was about Hispanic adults living with HIV—but the poorly-formatted table wasn’t making the patterns easy to understand.

I had a 30-minute window before I needed to pick up my kids from school, so I dove in!

In this 7-minute summary, you’ll learn:

1. bare-minimum edits for tables (alignment, decluttering, etc.);
2. a few different ideas for visualizing percent changes (checkboxes, slopes, deviation bars, icons); and
3. the winning design.

What’s Inside

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:18 The original table
• 1:06 Remaking the table with the same formatting
• 1:23 Gray horizontal lines
• 1:31 Left-aligned text
• 1:48 Trend lines
• 2:27 Percent changes with deviation bars
• 2:53 How-to tips in Excel (sparklines, data bars, IF statements)
• 3:28 Checkboxes to show increases or decreases
• 3:52 Adding state icons with the StateFace font
• 4:27 Adding arrow icons
• 4:54 Narrowing-down the best ideas
• 5:25 Re-sizing the columns
• 5:40  Not so Debbie-Downery

Download the Spreadsheet

It’s here.

The post Visualizing Percent Changes appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

I’d go to the public library, grab a dog-eared book off the shelf, and flip through the grayscale images trying to match the author’s screenshots to my own computer.

They were always using a different version of Excel than me.

I couldn’t find the buttons from their blurry screenshots.

I had to zig-zag my eyes back and forth between the book and my screen.

That’s how I learned Excel. And it was terrible.

Introducing the Excel How-To’s Templates

That’s why I spent hours and days and weeks making the Excel How-To’s templates for you.

Rather than having a separate book open, you’ll learn directly from Excel.

All the instructions are typed directly into Excel for you – alongside the living, breathing graphs – so you can save precious time.

Or, if you’re not interested in learning all the how-to steps, you can use the completed templates for your own project. There are notes telling you exactly where to type your own numbers and percentages so that they’ll show up in the finalized charts. No need to reinvent the wheel.

What’s Inside: 31 Templates

There are 31 templates so far.

I make updates and additions a few times a year, and send the latest Zip folder to everyone to make sure they’ve always got the latest version.

Chart Chooser

In addition to the graphing instructions, you’ll see my 2-page Chart Chooser, which’ll help you narrow down which chart to try.

Theme Colors and Theme Fonts

You’ll also get step-by-step instructions for setting up your organization’s brand colors and brand fonts. Themes save time and help you look professional.

Available In

Inside each template, you’ll learn which version of Excel that chart’s available in.

Most charts can be made on most computers.

There are some exceptions here and there, which is why it’s explicitly spelled out for you.

Uses

You’ll learn what that chart type’s best for.

And, I’ve added notes about where that chart is most or least common. In practice, we don’t see every chart in every workplace. Some charts are pretty much only seen in peer-reviewed journal articles. Other charts are pretty much only used by accountants. And so on.

Real-Life Examples

Inside each of the templates, you’ll see links real-life examples. Then, you can see how that chart has been used in reports, slideshows, dashboards, infographics, and websites by other agencies like yours.

Before-After Editing Example

Then, you’ll get a preview of the before-after transformation that you’re about to create.

For example, in the bump chart tutorial, you’ll transform a regular ol’ line chart into a ranking chart.

Below, you’ll get ideas for how you’d adapt that busy bump chart for a presentation (by graying everything out and highlighting one category at a time).

Step 1: Set Up the Table

You’ll walk through step-by-step instructions to make and edit all the 31 charts.

Step 1 is setting up your data table that’ll feed into the chart.

For native charts – bar charts, pie charts, line charts, etc. – the table set-up is extremely straightforward.

But for non-native charts, we have to get creative.

For example, in the population pyramid tutorial, you’ll see:

• the original table, and
• the magic table.

I’ve added notes to help you figure out what goes where.

The gray area gets pulled directly into the chart, so those are the values you’ll tweak when you’re making population pyramids for your own projects.

Step 2: Insert a ___ Chart

As we’re building non-native charts, we have to fool Excel.

We often insert one chart type… and disguise it to look like a different chart.

This took me nights and weekends, over several years, to figure out on my own. Let’s get you up to speed immediately! No need to waste your time fighting with Excel on your nights and weekends.

You’ll see explicit instructions about which chart type to add.

For example, to create a waffle chart (a.k.a. square pie), you’ll need to insert a 100% stacked bar chart first.

Step 3 (and onward): Format Format Format

This is where you’ll learn about Excel’s lesser-known features.

For example, you’ll learn how to adjust the primary and secondary axes’ Series Overlap and Gap Width, which makes our bars overlap.

I don’t find these edits to be intuitive at all. Quite the opposite! That’s why I’ve added screenshots for you – so you don’t have to memorize which buttons to click.

Variations

Finally, you’ll see variations of each chart.

For example, in the dot plot tutorial, you’ll see how to set up:

• 2 sets of circles with a line connecting them
• 2 sets of circles without a line connecting them
• 1 set of circles (a lollipop)
• Smaller dots with labels above or beside the dots
• Arrows
• Arrows, sorted (my personal fav)

Get the Excel How-To’s Templates

They’re included with your Data Storytelling in Excel tuition.

The post Take of Tour of the “Excel How-To’s” Templates appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

This past year, I’ve spent more time teaching about data management than data visualization.

When I look under the hood of companies’ spreadsheets, I’ve noticed way too many data management issues that could be avoided altogether.

In this article, you’ll learn about a prerequisite for data visualization: contiguous datasets.

Benefits of Contiguous Datasets

In this video, you’ll see how a single contiguous dataset lets you use:

• ONE set of formulas for data cleaning, recoding, and analyses
• ONE set of pivot tables
• ONE set of charts

Then, at the end, you can slice and dice your charts with a variety of filters.

Mini Datasets Spread Across One Sheet – NO!

Here’s what I often see:

Separate datasets for each time period.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes there are dozens of mini datasets, like this:

Mini Datasets Spread Over Multiple Sheets – NO!

Or, just as terrible for graphs and dashboards — one mini dataset per sheet, like this.

NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Or, separate mini datasets spread across different Excel files altogether.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ann, What’s So Bad about Mini Datasets?!

Separate mini datasets (“non-contiguous” or “non-touching” datasets) mean that we can only look at one time period at a time.

We have to make a bunch of mini charts.

It takes forever to make these the first time, and they’re a huge pain to update over time.

It’s also tougher for our viewers to find patterns because the numbers are scattered across too many charts.

NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dataviz Prerequisite: A Single Contiguous Dataset

Instead, the numbers should be stored in a single dataset, with the timeframe as its own column, like this:

This running list of new entries — a log — is going to get very long.

In real-life projects, the logs might have hundreds of thousands of entries.

That’s okay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s preferred!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s counterintuitive, but contiguous logs make dataviz faster, not slower.

Excel can handle millions of entries.

The length of a dataset won’t make your analysis or visualization take any longer. Repeat after me: Contiguous logs make dataviz faster, not slower.

However…

The width — the number of columns — can certainly take a while, because there are so many different variables to consider.

Bonus: Save Your table as an Excel Table for Easier Updating

A table is the generic term for a collection of rows and columns.

An Excel Table is a special feature that makes it faster and easier to update our log.

In other words, Excel Tables make it easier to append our contiguous logs as we get new data.

How to Turn tables into Excel Tables

You’ll simply click on your contiguous log — your generic table.

Then, go to the Insert tab.

Choose a Table.

Click OK.

You’ll recognize the banded rows.

Adding New Entries to Datasets Stored as Excel Tables

Adding new entries — or appending — is easy.

Let’s pretend you’re downloading data from your organization’s database. You might only be able to download one month at a time into its own sheet. That’s okay!

We’ll simply copy and paste those new entries into our running log.

Then, we’ll add the timeframe to that right-most column, too.

Excel is smart, and it’ll know that your new entries are part of your new dataset. In other words, your new entries will feed into pivot tables and formulas seamlessly.

Contiguous Datasets are Required for Static Dashboards

Want a short handout, PDF, or email attachment to share with others?

Maybe you’d want to see how all the projects combined are doing.

Or, maybe you’d want a breakdown of the different projects.

You could even add quick vizzes like sparklines to see trends, like this:

Contiguous datasets are required in order to make static dashboards.

Otherwise the sumifs, countifs, and averageifs behind the scenes will be impossible. Or, the formulas will be painfully slow to set up.

Static dashboards should take less than an hour to design from start to finish.

If it’s taking longer than that, it’s probably because (a) you don’t have a contiguous dataset or (b) you need more practice with formulas.

Contiguous Datasets are Required for Interactive Dashboards

Want to make interactive dashboards in Excel?

Your technical coworkers will love exploring the insights for themselves.

Interactive dashboards involve four pieces:

1. A single contiguous dataset stored as a regular ol’ table or an Excel Table. You already know I prefer Excel Tables for datasets that are going to be added to or appended in the future.
2. Pivot tables to tabulate the numbers (and bypass formulas, which can be tricky for novices).
3. Pivot charts to, you know, visualize the numbers.
4. Slicers (a fancy name for the filters).

Once again, contiguous datasets are the foundation of data visualization.

Have I sold you on contiguous datasets yet???

Contiguous datasets are required for:

• Making a single graph to show comparisons over time (not January, February, and March in separate graphs that take three times as long to create and update);
• Making static dashboards with formulas and trendlines that’ll update (nearly) automatically as you add new entries to your log; and
• Making interactive dashboards with charts that’ll update (nearly) automatically as you add new entries to your log.

If your data visualization is taking too long… it’s usually a data management problem.

And it can be easily fixed!!!

Start storing all your non-contiguous datasets as a single contiguous dataset.

The post Two Types of Datasets: Contiguous vs. Non-Contiguous appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

You can choose from these 6 classes:

• Simple Spreadsheets
• Great Graphs
• Great Graphs in Excel
• Report Redesign
• Dashboard Design
• Powerful Presentations

One class focuses on data analysis (cleaning and tabulating our raw datasets to get them ready for graphs).

Two classes focus on core data visualization skills (translating technical information for non-technical audiences; making sure we don’t just have bar charts; and using colors and fonts that are branded, accessible, and intuitive).

Three classes are advanced, sort of. I call them deep dives because they focus just on reports, or dashboards, or presentations. You’ll need to have your graphs created and edited first (skills taught in previous classes) so they can feed into those reports, dashboards, and presentations.

In this article, you’ll learn more about each of the classes.

Simple Spreadsheets

How to Analyze Data from Start to Finish in Excel

Need to make sense of spreadsheets? Not sure where to start? Chances are, there’s a faster and easier way to get it done.

In this class, you’ll practice a step-by-step process for exploring, cleaning, analyzing, and tabulating your dataset. These spreadsheet skills will save your time, energy, and sanity.

You’ll learn how to:

1. organize your brand new datasets by adding filters, freezing panes, and keeping raw data separate from clean data;
2. merge disparate spreadsheets together with lookup formulas;
3. clean and recode messy data (by checking for missing data and duplicates, and by transforming variables);
4. run descriptive statistics and frequencies; and
5. explore data more fully through pivot tables.

This workshop is highly interactive. Each section begins with a demonstration followed by a break for hands-on practice. For example, in the Analyze Data with Pivot Tables module, the instructor will show how to insert a pivot table and drag-and-drop variables. Then, you’ll practice right away, and you’ll be expected to ask questions whenever you get stuck.

Learn More

What Participants Are Saying

“As a 20+ year Excel user I can not BELIEVE the things I didn’t know, and that I learned to master in moments from Ann’s brilliant and engaging teaching. This course is by far the most well prepared and executed online course I have ever taken… The course materials are actual Excel files embedded with the skills, tricks and formulas… As far as who this course is best suited to, I think it could help Excel users of all levels, from beginners to advanced (which is what I would have called myself before taking this course and realizing my knowledge gaps!). For beginners it would be a one-stop shop of all you need to know to excel at Excel. For long-time users it will provide short-cuts, helpful formulas and other tricks you might not have known were hiding in this program. I truly can’t say enough about it, and have already recommended it to research colleagues, data/social indicator experts and policy folks.” – Lynn Davey, Ph.D, Davey Strategies

“I am a university researcher and have a lot of familiarity with data collection and statistical analysis programs/platforms (e.g. SPSS, SAS, etc.), but needed a low-cost, widely-used data collection and analysis tool I could recommend and teach to the community partners with whom I conduct research. I have known for a long time that Excel was likely the solution to my problem, but could never find time to learn to use it, except in the most basic ways (sort, sum). Last summer, I took Ann Emery’s Simple Spreadsheets course and dramatically improved my Excel acuity. *Plus* the course was fun, straightforward, and immediately useful… This course was more than worth the time and money I put into it, and I continue to learn and benefit from it (almost a year later). I highly recommend this course!” – Sarah V. Suiter, Vanderbilt University

Case Studies from Past Participants

You can view participants’ before-after transformations here:

• 6 Data Cleaning Steps to Save You Millions by Hudson Kelley, HOPE International

Great Graphs

A Software-Agnostic Introduction to Accessible Data Visualization

Are your takeaway findings getting lost? Busy graphs can slow down the viewer’s comprehension, increase cognitive load, and fail to inform decision-making processes. With intentional editing, we can design graphs that inform and inspire.

During this class, you’ll walk through a step-by-step process that you can apply to your own projects.

You’ll learn how to:

1. customize your visualizations for each of your audiences (technical vs. non-technical, internal vs. external, etc.);
2. choose the right chart type for your dataset (hex maps vs. choropleth maps, donuts vs. waffles, spaghetti lines vs. small multiples, etc.);
3. select an appropriate software program for your needs;
4. declutter your visuals so that viewers’ attention is focused on the data; and
5. use colors and fonts that are branded, accessible, and intuitive.

Learn More

What Participants Are Saying

“I would often see charts, graphs, and other data visuals in journal articles, and think to myself, ‘Wow, this is horrible; I have no idea what I am supposed to learn from this!” But I had no idea how to make it better or offer constructive suggestions.  After Great Graphs, I learned about how to select the best type of graph and how to make it visually appealing to the intended audience.  My own publications and posters have also benefitted—no more hard-to-read charts filled with clutter!” – John R. Heberger, Epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Case Studies from Past Participants​

You can view participants’ before-after transformations here:

• A Before-After One-Pager Makeover by Lillian Haley, Haley Evaluation & Research Services

Great Graphs in Excel

How to Make Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Graphs from Start to Finish

You’re familiar with all the research-based dataviz best practices. Now, let’s get down to business and make those graphs in Excel!

During this class, you’ll make beginner, intermediate, and advanced graphs in Excel.

You’ll walk through three levels of Excel vizardry:

1. First, in Level 1, learn the in’s and out’s of overused native charts (bar charts, pie charts, line charts, and more).
2. In Level 2, you’ll make underused native charts, like tree maps, sunburst diagrams, and geographic maps.
3. Finally, in Level 3, you’ll make non-native charts–charts that require sophisticated workarounds to produce in Excel, like dot plots, b’arc charts, small multiples bar charts, population pyramids, waffle charts, and more.

Learn More

What Participants Are Saying

“Before the course, I presented numbers narrated by text…yawn. Now, I present numbers as a story with visuals, sometimes as simple as sparklines, which engages staff and invites their insights! The Great Graphs in Excel course helped me see and share what story our data is telling. This course is best for people who learn through interaction, not just watching videos and reading tutorials. Ann K Emery responds to students’ questions and specific data scenarios, has us try the solutions real-time, and engages and encourages her students (probably the most impactful part of the course…) I especially appreciate her walking us through her thought process as she demonstrates the procedures she’s developed. It’s like having an officemate who’s both a whiz and mentor, which helps make me a better analyst.” – Ellen Shepherd, Program analyst at a nonprofit

“This course helped me to see Excel as a flexible tool for a wide range of data management and analysis tasks… Much more than just tables and calculations!” – Bob Coulter, Missouri Botanical Garden

“My trend is definitely upward in this course. I’m learning EVERYTHING about graphs and #dataviz. Even the first couple lessons taught me so much useful formatting information about Excel that are already saving me so much time and ensuring my #professionalbranding consistency. And I’m looking forward to making graphs and charts that can convey complex information in an effective way!” – Sue Griffey, Founder, SueMentors

“Enrolling in courses at Depict Data Studio is one of the best professional developments I have ever made… After eight months with Ann, I was able to turn my blah capabilities statement into something I am happy to share! I could go on and on about the many design and data visualization lessons I’ve learned from Ann. Instead, I’ll end by saying that books and blogs are excellent resources. I have several books and subscribed to many blogs. However, they do not compare to live and on-demand instruction of Depict Data Studio.” – Lillian Haley Ph.D., MSW, ChFC®, President and Owner, Haley Evaluation & Research Services (HERS)

Case Studies from Past Participants​

You can view participants’ before-after transformations here:

• 3 Simple Steps that Took My Graph from Good to Great by Maia Werner-Avidon, evaluator

Report Redesign

How to Transform Text-Heavy Technical Reports into Visual, Skimmable Reports

Were you trained to write lengthy technical reports with methodological details? Technical reports are a great fit for technical audiences, like our peers working in public health. But what about our non-technical audiences, like policymakers or the general public?

In this class, you’ll learn how to translate technical data for non-technical audiences. You’ll walk through 3 layers of the Report Redesign pyramid.

Here’s what you’ll learn and practice:

• In Level 1: Go Beyond the Report, you’ll learn how to add a variety of dissemination formats to your project (not just reports) in order to meet a variety of audiences’ needs. You’ll also learn about the 30-3-1 Approach to Reporting, visual appendices, and the 8 ingredients for designing one-pagers.
• In Level 2: Structure Your Report, you’ll learn how to design a 20-minute cover. Then you’ll visually chunk your data with color-coded chapters. These are the big-picture, structural edits that make data-dense reports easier to skim and navigate.
• Finally, in Level 3: Design Each Page, you’ll fine-tune the graphs and paragraphs included on each page. You’ll see a checklist of 15 Ideas for Visuals, and then practice adding more visuals to each page. You’ll also edit your writing to ensure that it’s accessible and inclusive.

Learn More

What Participants Are Saying

“Investing in the Report Redesign course from Depict Data Studio was one of the best decisions I have made in my career. Before the course, I was writing long, wordy reports that I thought were visually appealing because I included tables and bar charts; I had no idea the options I had within software I already had access to. Now, I create impactful one-pagers and reports that are visually appealing and even more importantly, get read by my colleagues. I know that there are more than 15 types of visuals to include in reports, how to utilize my company’s brand to my advantage, and more. I have been complimented on the new look of my reports by coworkers and external stakeholders, and continue to have “aha” moments of how I can continue to apply Ann’s advice as access to the course never expires. I cannot recommend this course enough. Thanks Ann and Depict Data Studio!” – Olivia Power, Data and Reporting Specialist, National FFA Organization

Case Studies from Past Participants

You can view participants’ before-after transformations here:​

• Upping Your Reporting Game–with PowerPoint! by Ann Webb Price, Community Evaluation Services
• Three Ways Intentional Data Viz Has Elevated My Work by Kathy Dowell, The Evaluation Group

Dashboard Design

How to Design Static and Interactive Dashboards in Excel

Why wait until the end of the year to write a lengthy report when you can share data early and often with dashboards? Your organization’s leaders have more important things to do than read lengthy reports. Dashboards get to the point so that leaders can understand the numbers and take action.

During this class, you’ll make both static and interactive dashboards in Excel.

First, you’ll see sample dashboards from a dozen organizations like yours. You’ll hear share the story behind each dashboard so that you can learn about each dashboard’s audience and goals. For example, some of the dashboards were designed to track progress towards goals. Other dashboards were designed to help organizations compare their different program areas. You can decide which elements of each dashboard would be most applicable to your own work.

Then, you’ll design a few static dashboards in Excel. You’ll create sparklines and uncover some of Excel’s best kept secrets, like Conditional Formatting. These dashboards will live inside of Excel and get shared with stakeholders as PDFs through email or as printed handouts during meetings. Static dashboards are a great fit for non-technical audiences who only have time to skim a one-page email attachment.

Finally, you’ll design an interactive dashboard in Excel. You’ll turn your regular table into an Excel Table; you’ll tabulate your dataset with pivot tables; you’ll design pivot charts to showcase your key findings; and you’ll link everything together with slicers. Interactive dashboards are a great fit for technical audiences who have time to explore the data themselves.

Learning Objectives

After the one-day workshop, participants will be able to:

• describe when static vs. interactive dashboards are most useful (e.g., for technical vs. non-technical audiences);
• create sparklines, data bars, and heat tables;
• adjust their dashboard to be printer- and PDF-ready to create static dashboards; and
• insert Excel Tables, pivot tables, pivot charts, and slicers to create interactive dashboards.

Target Audience

Researchers, evaluators, and scientists who want to create monthly, quarterly, or annual dashboards inside no-code software you already have, like Excel.

Level

Intermediate/advanced.

Suggested Prerequisites

You’ll gain the most from this course if you’ve already taken two other courses from this instructor: (1) Simple Spreadsheets (to start practicing formulas and pivot tables) and (2) Great Graphs (to start practicing data visualization skills, like chart-choosing, branding, and accessibility).

Equipment Needed

A desktop/laptop computer (not a tablet or phone).

PCs preferred over Macs.

Webcams suggested for virtual classes so that staff can fully participate.

Software Programs Used

Excel is required.

Newest version preferred (called “Microsoft 365”).

Materials Included

• 1 day of live instruction (e.g., 9-4 on-site, or 9-12 two days in a row virtually)
• Access to recordings for 1 year so you can re-watch anything you’d like
• Ebook
• PDF’d slides
• ~10 templates with step-by-step instructions for making static and interactive dashboards in Excel

What Participants Are Saying

“This course helped me to design a visually engaging and easy to interpret surveillance report for our State Health Department. This course offers so many great Excel tips and techniques in such an organized way. The skills I learned from this course were extremely easy to apply to an actual project. Furthermore, the course examples provided me with so many ideas and inspiration for future projects.” – Melissa Lurie, MPH, Epidemiologist/Research Scientist, New York State Department of Health

“When I started my position, I was tasked with developing a better way to track performance data across multiple programs. With this course, I was able to transform the old system into a dashboard that is efficient, makes good use of a single page, and looks great. We now get lots of compliments on our dashboard, thanks to this course.” – Shawna Rohrman, Associate Director, Cuyahoga County Office of Early Childhood

Case Studies from Past Participants

You can view participants’ before-after transformations here:

• Creating Reports for Grant Deliverables Using Excel Dashboards by Josephine Engels, Mental Health America of Greater Houston
• Better Storytelling with the Same Data: Upgrade that Board Packet! by Kristen Summers, Saint Luke’s Foundation

Powerful Presentations

How to Design and Deliver Presentations for Maximum Impact

Do you need to give presentations, either in-person or online? You might need to design slides for public health conferences. Or, you might need to give updates at your staff meetings.

In this class, you’ll learn how to avoid Death by PowerPoint–those slides with Text Walls, grainy images, and run-on content. Our audiences are busier than ever, and they’re relying on us to communicate our data clearly and concisely.

You’ll gain presentation best practices and practical how-to’s in PowerPoint.

First, in the Slidedecks vs. Slidedocs module, you’ll learn the five graphic design features that make presentations stand out from reports. You’ll see examples of slidedecks and slidedocs from real CDC projects, and we’ll pause to make sure you know whether you need slidedecks and/or slidedocs for your own projects.

Second, in the Message module, you’ll design a Visual Framework to help organize your presentation into manageable chunks of information. You’ll also write the takeaway tweets for your presentation in advance to make sure it’s concise and actionable.

Third, in the Design module, you’ll swap out your bullet points and bar charts for a variety of visuals. You’ll receive our Chart Chooser and our checklist of 15 Ideas for Visuals, and we’ll practice adding visuals to some of your real slides.

Fourth, in the Delivery module, you’ll learn how to storyboard you slides, which is a technique for breaking up dense data over multiple slides and explaining it piecemeal to our non-technical audiences. You’ll also learn about public speaking skills, body language, and tech set-up for virtual presentations.

Learning Objectives

After the one-day workshop, participants will be able to:

• name five characteristics that should differentiate slidedocs (handouts made in PowerPoint) from slidedecks (presentation slides made in PowerPoint);
• narrow down a presentation’s content to just 3-5 “buckets” of information;
• draft a Visual Framework (a diagram) that shows how those 3-5 buckets are related (e.g., a venn diagram, step-by-step process, or repeating cycle);
• write a 1-2 sentence “takeaway tweet” that summarizes the main message from the presentation;
• re-design one text-heavy slide so that it includes accessible, skimmable visuals; and
• storyboard one graph (break up the graph over multiple slides to match your speaking points and keep the audience engaged).

Target Audience

Researchers, evaluators, and scientists who are preparing their own slides/handouts for upcoming presentations.

Or, graphic designers/communications staff and admin staff who are preparing slides/handouts that their supervisors will be presenting.

Level

Intermediate/advanced.

This class is designed for staff who are already giving presentations (informal staff meetings, or formal conference presentations) and want to take their slides and public speaking skills to the next level.

In other words, you’ll gain the most from this session if you can bring your own draft slides to work on. It’ll be harder to participate if you don’t have any slides or upcoming presentations to work on during the hands-on portions.

Suggested Prerequisites

This course is about presentations, slide design, and public speaking skills. It’s not a data visualization course.

We suggest that you complete a half-day or full-day data visualization class first (like Great Graphs). Then, those well-designed graphs and maps can go into the presentations you’ll design in this course.

Equipment Needed

A desktop/laptop computer (not a tablet or phone).

PCs preferred over Macs.

Webcams suggested for virtual classes so that staff can fully participate.

Software Programs Used

You’ll learn both presentation best practices and PowerPoint how-to’s.

Materials Included

• 1 day of live instruction (e.g., 9-4 on-site, or 9-12 two days in a row virtually)
• Access to recordings for 1 year so you can re-watch anything you’d like
• Ebook
• PDF’d slides

What Participants Are Saying

“Not only have my presentation skills and setup improved, but so have my slides. There are so many great tips and tricks I could highlight, but I will keep it to my three favorites: color coding, increasing readability, and storyboarding. The best part is, they don’t take that much extra time! These are simple changes that take your slidedecks to a new level and allow you to really impress your audience.” – Kelsey Waterson, Evaluator, Centerstone Research Institute

“A client asked me to report the results at their meeting and I used so many of your suggestions in the slidedeck, it was the most impressive PowerPoint I have ever made. But as the meeting progressed, they were running out of time, [but] luckily, I had also created a slidedoc and was able to share that document. I have never been so grateful that I had signed up for your class!” – Kristin Wright

Case Studies from Past Participants

You can view participants’ before-after transformations here:

• A Tip, a Trick, and a Thing to Try in Your Next Presentation by Elizabeth Dove, University of Montana
• Creating a Powerful Presentation: 3 Easy Changes to Revamp Your PowerPoint by Kelsey Watterson, Centerstone Research Institute

Learn More

If you’d like to explore private training options, you can learn more here.

Smaller teams may prefer group rates for online courses.

The post My 6 Data Visualization Workshops: What’s Covered in Each Class?? appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

Want to take your graphs to the next level?

Wondering what’s possible in Microsoft Excel?

From A to Z, here are some of the amazing data visualizations that you can make inside of good ol’ Excel.

Area

You shade the area underneath the line for extra oomph.

Bars

To compare the averages or totals of several categories at once.

Bar’c

A bar-arc chart, a.k.a. curved bar chart. Not as accurate as a straight bar chart, but more interesting.

Box and Whisker

Mostly seen in academic settings.

Bubble Charts

To compare three variables: x, y, and z. The z variable is the size of the bubble.

Bump

To visualize rankings over time.

Clustered Bars

Clustered Columns

To compare a few subcategories at once.

Columns

Combo Charts

Two chart types combined into one, like a column chart with a line.

Data Bars

Miniature at-a-glance horizontal bars to help us explore our dataset.

Diverging Stacked Bars

Most useful for diverging variables, like agree-disagree scales, to see how many people fall on each side of the fence. I only use these for even-numbered data (i.e., the 4 breakouts shown here).

Donuts

A pie chart with a hole punched in the middle. Donuts follow the same rules as pies, e.g., limit them to 2-3 slices.

Dot Plots

A.k.a. the Cleveland dot plot, we get to compare two (or more) points along the same plane. Great alternative to clustered bars/columns.

Heat Maps

We color-code each location.

Heat Tables

We color-code each cell.

Histograms

Similar to column charts, but for bins (ordinal categories).

Interactive Dashboards

Available since Excel 2010, we link Excel Tables to pivot tables to pivot charts, and then use slicers to filter the data.

Lines

To visualize patterns over time.

Lollipops

A skinny bar chart with a dot at the endpoint.

Network Maps

To compare how people, entities, etc. are connected as a network. Possible with a free plug-in, NodeXL.

One-Pagers

Made entirely within Excel and saved as a PDF (not pasted into Word).

Overlapping Bars & Columns

When you’re comparing each bar/column to its own target.

Pie Charts

Make sure you follow these guidelines.

Population Pyramids

A back-to-back histogram. The traditional population pyramid visualizes age vs. sex, and is most common among demographers. We can make these for any ordinal variable (age ranges, income levels, highest educational level completed, etc.) x two categories (two locations, two groups, etc.).

Scatter Plots

To visualize the correlation between two continuous variables (x and y).

Series of Matching Dashboards

One per student, per school, per state, etc. Create one template and let Excel handle the rest.

Slopes

A fancy name for a line chart that compares exact two points in time.

Small Multiples Bars

Several small charts. See another example here.

Small Multiples Lines

An alternative to the spaghetti line chart.

Sparklines

Miniature within-cell trendlines that help us explore the data.

Stacked Bars

An alternative to making comparisons across multiple pie charts.

Stacked Columns

Static Dashboards

Learn how to make them in this Dashboard Design course.

Sunburst Diagrams

Nested donut charts for comparing categories and their subcategories.

Swarm Plots

Also known as bee swarms and jittered dot plots. These plots show the individuality of each data point, not just averages.

Tile Grid Heat Maps

An alternative to the regular ol’ geographic map. Helps us combat the Alaska Effect. Learn more about them here.

Tile Grid Trendline Maps

An alternative to the spaghetti line chart.

Tree Maps

For nested data: classrooms within schools within districts; branches within a government agency; etc.

Waffles

A square version of the pie chart.

Your Turn

Which of these charts are you already using?

Which ones might you try in the future?

Comment below and let me know!

The post 40+ Great Graphs You Can Make in Microsoft Excel appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

Technical tables have so much value, especially as visual appendices for reports.

In this blog post, you’ll get ideas for bringing your technical tables to life.

Before

Here’s what the “before” version of some technical tables looked like.

These are made-up numbers, but you get the idea.

The public health staff wanted to look at quarterly numbers, the total annual number, and the rate (the number of cases per 100,000 live births).

Even if you’re not measuring neonatal abstinence syndrome, I bet there are numbers that you track each quarter. You might even want to look at the total annual number, too. Get some inspiration from this blog post, and then adapt the ideas to your own workplace.

Re-Created in Excel

First, I re-made their table in good ol’ Excel.

The finished product will be a PDF, but the most efficient way to bring technical tables to life is to keep the numbers inside Excel the entire time. We’re not going to transfer anything to Word.

Declutter

Let’s tackle the easy edits, such as:

• removing all the borders;
• adding back just the gray horizontal borders;
• removing the background fill; and
• left-aligning the text and right-aligning the numbers.

Add Trendlines

We’ll bring the quarterly trends to life with sparklines.

Add Bars

We’ll bring the annual totals to life with data bars:

We’ll bring the rates to life with data bars, too:

Brand Colors & Brand Fonts

Time to format!

We’ll apply brand colors and brand fonts:

We’ll color-code the text to match the bars.

(Sometimes the table’s columns get so narrow that it’s tricky to tell which number corresponds to which bar. That’s where color-coding comes to the rescue.)

As a general rule of thumb, colored font should be bold so that it passes 508/ADA color contrast guidelines.

Text Hierarchy & Intro Sentences

A text hierarchy means the title should be largest, boldest, and darkest so that it’s easiest to spot. (Followed by H1s and H2s if we had them.) We’re developing a hierarchy of information so our readers can stay organized.

As a general rule of thumb, I make sure headings are twice as big as body font. The body font is size 11, so this title is size 22 and bold.

We’ll also add intro sentences, and move that footnote info about the asterisks to the top. (People need to read that sentence before the table, not after.)

PDF- and Printer-Friendly

We’ve kept everything in Excel — that’s the only way to add the spark lines and data bars, and pasting tables into Word is a waste of time — but the final version will be shared with others as a PDF.

In the real version of this project, the PDF was about 15 pages long. There were various tabulations on various topics, not just neonatal abstinence syndrome.

We’ll need to:

• set the Print Area;
• adjust the Page Layout (portrait to landscape for easier on-screen reading);
• adjust the margins (0.5 to 1 inches is sufficient);
• add contact info and a logo so people can get in touch with questions; and
• adjust the column widths and row heights so everything fits juuust right.

Optional: Sort by Rates, Not Alphabetically

Finally, we might choose to sort the table by the most important column (rates, in this example) instead of alphabetically by county name.

I’m usually a fan of sorting. But I’m on the fence here. I also see the value in the leaving the counties alphabetized so readers can search for their own county. Hmm.

The Final Version

The visuals help us spot the patterns (thanks, Picture Superiority Effect).

The branding will help us look more professional to outside audiences (so we don’t look Frankensteined — when all our colleagues use different colors and fonts, and we put everything together in one doc, and it’s a hot mess).

The PDF’d appendices can be merged with the PDF’d report (thanks, Adobe Acrobat).

The Before-After Transformation

Once you’ve got intermediate/advanced Excel vizardry skills, the whole process will take less than an hour.

Really, this should take you less than 15 minutes!

If not, you’ll simply need to brush up on your Excel skills.

Dataviz is supposed to be fast and easy.

Bonus: Download the Materials

Want to explore my spreadsheet? Download my Excel file and adapt it for your own project.

The post How to Bring Your Technical Tables to Life appeared first on Depict Data Studio.