Most PowerPoint charts suck! Your company spends a huge amount of time and resources on research and data analysis, but when it comes time to present your results to clients or executives, the default charts you generate are nothing special. Learn how to apply design principles that take your charts to the next level and make your audience go “Ah-Ha!”
If you’re just using the default chart templates, you’re making a big mistake. Your charts will look like the same default charts your audience sees in every other presentation, and it makes you and data look generic. Those default charts are only meant to be the starting point (you have to start somewhere), but you need to customize your charts to effectively communicate your own insights and key messages to your audience in a unique, memorable way.
Clicking the chart button isn’t enough. Good DataViz Design means
going beyond the charting templates and designing visualizations that
reveal insights and tell stories to your audience. Data visualizations
are used in dashboards, websites, mobile applications, presentations,
reports, infographics and more. All of your dataviz designs will benefit
from these core principles of Good DataViz Design:
- Communicate a key message
- Avoid false visualizations
- Make your insight memorable with the Picture Superiority Effect
- Use pre-attentive attributes to focus your audience’s attention
- Reduce visual noise and clutter
- Build your credibility with data transparency