Breadth of Data Visualization Options in Excel Dashboards

Introduction

Data visualization is the process of converting raw data into charts, graphs, tables and other visual elements. As opposed to analysing unrefined data, data visualization provides insight into trends and relationships in a more understandable and visual format. There is a multitude of benefits to using data visualization, such as its ability to make complex data sets easier to understand, to identify patterns and trends, and to improve decision-making by showing which data points are the most important.

In terms of data visualization tools, Excel dashboards have become a popular choice. Excel dashboards provide users with visual data displays in “at a glance” view and offer a wide breadth of data visualization options. This blog post will explore the benefits of Excel dashboards and the extensive range of data visualization options they offer.

Overview of Excel Dashboard Tools

Excel dashboards are powerful visual representations of data that can help users quickly assess data patterns in a concise, effective format. Excel contains several tools for creating dashboards, from basic visuals to Excel add-ins, allowing users to choose the approach that best meets their data analysis requirements. Here is an overview of the types of Excel dashboard tools available.

Basic visuals available in Excel

Excel offers basic visual tools that allow data to be laid out in a clear, easy-to-digest manner. This includes options such as tables, charts, and graphs, all of which can be modified and tweaked to highlight key data points from the data set. These visuals are set up in seconds, providing a fast and straightforward way to develop simple data visualizations.

Excel add-ins

There are several Excel add-ins available that are built to create complex interactive visuals. These add-ins offer features such as mapping, timelines, scatter plots, and more, giving users the freedom to create a wide range of data visualizations. The add-ins often provide customization options, allowing users to customize the visuals to meet their needs.

Excel options

Microsoft Excel also provides several more advanced options for creating dashboards. These include PivotTables and PowerPivot, which provide users with a more in-depth view into their data set. These tools make it possible to quickly answer questions, such as seeing how different data points correlate, or seeing if trends can be identified.

• PivotTables – allows users to quickly compare and analyze different data points
• PowerPivot – allows users to organize and manipulate data for powerful analytics

Using Images to Enhance Visuals

Images are a powerful visual tool to quickly illustrate trends and draw attention to specific data points in an Excel dashboard. By leveraging images alongside your tabs, sheets, text and charts, you have the opportunity to create a highly dynamic and impactful dashboard. Different images can be used to illustrate different parts of the story now being told by the data.

Working with Image Files

Excel allows for different image file types to be added to a dashboard. Common file types such as JPEG and PNG files can be added quickly and easily. Resizing and cropping images is also possible. This allows the user to create the exact look and feel that is desired for the dashboard.

Text to Image Conversion

Text to image conversion is also made possible by Excel. For example, a title or data labels can be converted to an image to be used in the dashboard. This allows the user to add custom fonts and text styles that are unique to the dashboard. Additionally, Excel allows text to be highlighted and broken apart into two different pieces, giving the dashboard a more creative look.

Image Galleries

Excel’s image gallery feature allows the user to quickly add multiple images in one go. Images can be grouped together in the gallery for faster organization and sorting. This is great for larger dashboard projects, where adding a single image at a time can take a lot of time.

Image galleries also allow for images to be quickly updated. This means any changes or additions to the dashboard can be done quickly and easily. Additionally, users have the ability to add their own custom images, giving the dashboard a personalized look and feel.

Types of Data Visualization in Excel

Data visualization is an important part of business intelligence and can be used to quickly and easily make sense of a large data set. Excel excels in this area, allowing users to create impressive dashboards with a variety of data visualizations. This article explores the breadth of data visualization options available in Excel dashboard.

Charts and graphs

Charts and graphs are the stocks-in-trade of Excel dashboards. From basic bar and line charts to more complex variations like gauges, trendlines and sparklines, charts are essential for quickly conveying large amounts of data in one simple visual. Bar charts are the most commonly used type of visualization, allowing users to compare values across categories. Line charts can be used to track changes over time, as well as identify general trends.

Power View

Power View is a powerful feature of Excel 2013 and 2016 that enables users to present meaningful, interactive visualizations from tabular data. Essentially a superset of charts, Power View can not only do everything a conventional chart can do, but also build dynamic, interactive visuals that allow users to filter and drill down through the data. This enables users to analyze data at different levels and uncover previously unseen insights.

Heat maps

Heat maps are unique in that they can quickly and clearly reveal relationships between two variables and show trends in virtually no time at all. Heat maps use a series of colors to denote cells where the values are exactly or relatively close to each other. Using a simple color gradient from one color to another, heat maps allow information to be presented quickly and clearly, providing powerful insights with little effort.

Common Excel Dashboard Configurations

• Standard Dashboard Layouts

  Standard dashboard layouts are an easy and efficient way to create visually attractive Excel dashboards. With this approach, users have access to basic table displays, charts, and graphs, which can be further personalized to meet the needs of the user. Additionally, this approach is great for communicating data quickly, as it allows many data points to be shown on one page.

• KPI Usage

  Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are a main component of Excel Dashboards. By default, KPIs help users to easily identify performance trends in their data and review these performance metrics quickly. These dashboards include indicators like financial ratios, targets, and goals, amongst others. Additionally, KPIs can be used together with more contemporary visual elements like infographics, line and bar charts, to provide a more comprehensive overview of performance data over a certain period of time.

• Dashboard for Performance Tracking

  Excel dashboards can be of great help for tracking individual and organizational performance. These dashboards allow users to quickly and easily track changes in performance over multiple points in time, which helps users to determine if the data is reliable or not. For example, users can create visuals such as bar charts to analyze values of different indicators and compare them over a set timeframe. Additionally, Excel dashboards can be enriched with interactive elements such as slicers, allowing users to dynamically filter information or data. Altogether, these features enable users to collect, view and analyze performance data more efficiently.

Best Practices for Designing Excel Dashboards

Excel dashboards provide efficient means to display data. There are many visualization options in Excel, which can be used as part of an effective dashboard. The goal of the dashboard is to display data and key KPIs quickly and to allow the user to interact and explore the data in depth. To facilitate these uses, there are certain best practices for designing the Excel dashboards:

Clear Communication

The Excel dashboard should be clear and easy to understand. All text and labels should be kept short and must easily explain the content of the graphic. Avoid abbreviations in order to keep the text clear. The title, subtitles, and icons should clearly communicate the purpose of the dashboard, allowing the user to quickly identify the message behind each graphic.

Consistent Design

Creating a coherent design is important for the overall aesthetic appeal of the dashboard. Themes and color palettes should be used to ensure the elements are consistent. Using the same design, font, and layout for all sheets of the dashboard strengthens the message and allows the user to compare the data across multiple sheets more easily.

Clean Interface

An effective Excel dashboard display should be organized and allow the user to swiftly access the necessary information. This can be achieved by minimizing the elements of the dashboard. Unnecessary charts, graphics, and buttons should be removed to ensure clutter-free navigation. A dashboard should also allow the user to refine their search and display only the relevant information.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored the breadth of data visualization options available in Excel dashboard design. These visualizations are versatile and secure, providing the ability to draw powerful insights with the data embedded in the dashboard.

We have reviewed four commonly used chart types: bar charts, line charts, pie charts, and stacked charts. These each offer a unique perspective on data and can be used together to provide interactive reports.

Additionally, we discussed key benefits of data visualization. Being able to use visual optimization to highlight key trends and results helps us interpret data more quickly and easily. Visualizations make it possible to interpret information more quickly and to gain a comprehensive overview of data.

In conclusion, visual representation of data should be a standard component of Excel dashboard design. With the wide range of charts and data visualization options available, it is possible to effectively communicate insights and trends quickly and securely.