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Show MORE Points in Time On Your Graph!!!

Ann K. Emery
Updated on: Apr 24th, 2025
Data Visualization, Data Visualization in Excel
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Ann K. Emery, Depict Data Studio, teaches you why showing more points in time is more accurate, truthful, and useful.

If you have TONS of points over time… show tons of data in your graph!

Too often, I see organizations show just a single point in time.

A single number is meaningless. We need at least two numbers — preferably three, four, or four thousand! — to make accurate comparisons.

In this video, I’ll try to convince you to show more points in time, not fewer.

What’s Inside

  • 0:00 Welcome
  • 0:18 The pretend dataset: Daily numbers for the past decade
  • 0:33 Types of workplaces that DO have daily data: Hospitals, universities, government agencies, public health, etc.
  • 1:11 Hesitancy to show lots of data
  • 1:28 Don’t just show 1 day!
  • 1:46 We need AT LEAST 2 numbers to make a helpful graph
  • 2:07 Show at least 1 month
  • 2:19 Show at least 1 year
  • 2:40 Show years and years of data!
  • 2:53 Hesitancy to show lots of data – because the x-axis gets ugly
  • 3:19 Excel how-to
  • 4:30 My wish: Getting you thinking
  • 4:38 Exceptions? When is it better for decisionmakers to have less context?

Download the Excel File

It’s here: https://depictdatastudio.kit.com/showmorepointsintime

More about Ann K. Emery
Ann K. Emery is a sought-after speaker who is determined to get your data out of spreadsheets and into stakeholders’ hands. Each year, she leads more than 100 workshops, webinars, and keynotes for thousands of people around the globe. Her design consultancy also overhauls graphs, publications, and slideshows with the goal of making technical information easier to understand for non-technical audiences.

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