Making Charts from SpreadsheetsData 101August 30th, 2016
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 1
Housekeepinggo to https://docs.google.com
...and you should see this.
If you don't, you'll need toget a Google Docs account.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 2
HousekeepingSlides are online...
TODO: ADD LINK HERE
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 3
Today's Todos:
—Make a Spreadsheet—Make a Chart—Use Existing Data—Write a Formula
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 4
Use data toTell a Story.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 5
The most exciting slide ever...
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 6
A Brief Historyof The Spreadsheet.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 7
Columns of Numbers
(This is not my handwriting.)
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 8
Accounting Worksheets
(This is alsonot my handwriting.)
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 9
ComputersThey're computing.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 10
DigitalComputersApple II, ca. 1977
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 11
Visicalc (1979)"A magic sheet of paper that can perform calculations and recalculations."— Bob Frankston, Creator
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 12
Lotus 1-2-3 (1983)Called 1-2-3 for three things:
1. A spreadsheet2. A database3. A charting tool
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 13
Let's not say PC compatible. Instead, let's say '1-2-3 compatible.'— Infoworld February 27, 1984
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 14
Microsoft Excel (~1993)
I told you this would be exciting.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 15
Google Sheets (~2012)
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 16
Why Spreadsheets?Agricultural account tablet in Sumerian referring to flocks and herds. ca. 2400 BCE.
Harry Ransom CenterUniversity of Texas at Austin
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 17
Create a New Spreadsheet
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 18
Data.
http://bit.ly/data101charts
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 19
Make A Copy.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 20
Live Demo #1.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 21
Data.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 22
Live Demo #2.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 23
Charts.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 24
Data...
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 25
...Stories.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 26
Why Charts?Charts are shortcutsto understanding.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 27
Changes Humans Notice
• Color
• Area
• Angle
• Length
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 28
ColorUse for categories
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 29
AreaUse to show differences
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 30
AnglesUse to highlightconvergence or divergence
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 31
LengthUse for comparisons
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 32
A 5% change matters• 5% lighter
• 5% Bigger
• 5% Rotated
• 5% Longer
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 33
What to use and when.
• Color: Indicate Categories
• Area: Highlight Differences
• Angle: Show Convergence
• Length: Compare Differences
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 34
The partsof a chart.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 35
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 36
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 37
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 38
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 39
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 40
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 41
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 42
Remove Chart Junk
Only keep what you needto tell your story.
The rest is distraction.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 43
Live Demo #3
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 44
Choosinga chart type.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 45
Ask a question:What type of fruit do I like?
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 46
Pie ChartsFor comparing percentages
—No more than 4 or 5 slices.—Limited accuracy.—Easy to understand.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 47
Ask a question:What fruit do I eat the most of?
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 48
Bar ChartFor comparing values
—Can have many values.—Good accuracy.—Easy to understand.—Zeros show up.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 49
Ask a question:What fruit did I eat more of last week?
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 50
Bar ChartsFor comparing values
—Can have many values.—Good accuracy.—Easy to understand.—Zeros show up.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 51
Bar ChartsFor comparing values
—Can have many values.—Good accuracy.—Easy to understand.—Zeros show up.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 52
Ask a question:What week did I eat more fruit?
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 53
Stacked BarsFor comparing totals
—Harder to understand.—Good when you don't care
about the individual values
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 54
Different charts tell different stories.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 55
Pie ChartsComparing percentages
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 56
Ask a question:What percent of the fruit I eat are apples?
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 57
Pie ChartsComparing a part to the whole
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 58
Pie ChartsContextual Colors
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 59
Pie ChartsIncorrect Colors
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 60
Pie ChartsToo Subtle Colors
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 61
Color can help or hinder telling your story.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 62
No. Just...no.
We read chartsleft to right; bottom to top.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 63
Charts vs. GraphsA Chart shows quantitativechange over one axis
A Graph compares quantitative change over two axis
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 64
Ask a question:How does my fruit consumption change over time?
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 65
Live Demo #4.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 66
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 67
Line Graphs
A continuous value over time
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 68
Smoothed Line Graph
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 69
Ask a question:What does my annual fruit consumption look like?
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 70
Many Values: Line Graph
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 71
Many Values: Smooth Line Graph
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 72
Many Values: Histogram
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 73
Area Graph
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 74
Sometimes,the data needs help.
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 75
Live Demo #5
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 76
Line Chart
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 77
Datasets
https://data.wprdc.org/dataset/pghhttps://data.wprdc.org/dataset/project-budgets
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 78
Don't be afraid to leave the spreadsheet.
• PowerPoint• Paint• Pencils
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 79
https://public.tableau.comData 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 80
Resources—http://www.datavizcatalogue.com—http://www.visualisingdata.com—https://eagereyes.org
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 81
Thank You.David Newbury (@workergnome)
Data 101: Making Charts from Spreadsheets
Data 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 82