Don’t Let Microsoft Put Lipstick on the Pig or How to Eschew the Chartjunk and Make Great Excel Graphs
Jan 27, 2015
Don’t Let Microsoft Put Lipstick on the Pig
orHow to Eschew the Chartjunk and
Make Great Excel Graphs
© Stan Siranovich 2010 2
Excel: to Use or Not to Use?
Reasons to Use
• Spreadsheets necessary to running a business
• Data already in Excel• More charts in Excel
than all other applications combined
Reasons to Not Use• New charting engine• Poor default choices by
Microsoft• Confusing array of
shades, colors, backgrounds and options
© Stan Siranovich 2010 3
Pie Charts
• Purpose?• Info is not 3-D• Tilting adds nothing• Shading and shadows
add nothing
http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/b-eye/excels_new_charting_engine.pdf
© Stan Siranovich 2010 4
Bar Charts
• Purpose?• Tapering, rounding,
useless depth and shading
• Chartjunk – superficial decoration with no regard for the data
http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/b-eye/excels_new_charting_engine.pdf
© Stan Siranovich 2010 5
“Ginzu Graphs”• Emphasis on
meaningless visual effects
• Encourage to treat graphs superficially
• Obfuscates the information
http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/b-eye/excels_new_charting_engine.pdf
© Stan Siranovich 2010 6
What to Do?
• Remember the objective – “It’s the data, stupid.”
• Recognize that less is more• Start with a good, clean default layout• Modify the default only when necessary
© Stan Siranovich 2010 7
"The only worse design than a pie chart is several of them." Edward Tufte
• Four factors: year, region, share, toe
• Must scan back and forth between charts
• Information is hidden
toe – tons oil equivalentOECD - 30 developed economies, including USA and EuropeEME - Emerging Market Economy countriesFSU - Former Soviet Union countriesOther EMEs - EMEs less China and FSU countries
http://processtrends.com/toc_chart_doctor.htm
© Stan Siranovich 2010 8
“Death to Pie Charts!”
• Three increasing, three decreasing
• China and other EMEs – greatest increase
• FSU – greatest decrease
William Eddy of Carnegie-Mellon University,ASA Committee on Energy Statistics
OECD - 30 developed economies, including USA and EuropeEME - Emerging Market Economy countriesFSU - Former Soviet Union countriesOther EMEs - EMEs less China and FSU countries http://processtrends.com/toc_chart_doctor.htm
© Stan Siranovich 2010 9
“Death to Pie Charts!”
• US and Europe – decreasing shares
• Other OECD – slight increase
William Eddy of Carnegie-Mellon University,ASA Committee on Energy Statistics
OECD - 30 developed economies, including USA and EuropeEME - Emerging Market Economy countriesFSU - Former Soviet Union countriesOther EMEs - EMEs less China and FSU countries http://processtrends.com/toc_chart_doctor.htm
© Stan Siranovich 2010 10
"The only worse design than a pie chart is several of them." Edward Tufte
© Stan Siranovich 2010 11
Review
• Remember the objective – “It’s the data, stupid.”
• Recognize that less is more• Start with a good, clean default layout• Modify the default only when
necessary
© Stan Siranovich 2010 12
Stamp Out Chartjunk!
© Stan Siranovich 2010 13
Lake Woebegone Presidential Poll
http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/b-eye/excels_new_charting_engine.pdf
© Stan Siranovich 2010 14
Acknowledgements
Further Reading• Stephen Few• Edward Tufte• Stephen M. Kosslyn• Naomi B. Robbins, Ph.D.• Mastering Layout: mike
stevens on the art of eye appeal
Websites
• http://www.perceptualedge.com/
• http://www.daheiser.info/excel/frontpage.html
• http://www.practicalstats.com/index.html