Making Charts from SpreadsheetsData 101August 30th, 2016

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Housekeepinggo to https://docs.google.com

...and you should see this.

If you don't, you'll need toget a Google Docs account.

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HousekeepingSlides are online...

TODO: ADD LINK HERE

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Today's Todos:

—Make a Spreadsheet—Make a Chart—Use Existing Data—Write a Formula

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Use data toTell a Story.

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The most exciting slide ever...

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A Brief Historyof The Spreadsheet.

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Columns of Numbers

(This is not my handwriting.)

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Accounting Worksheets

(This is alsonot my handwriting.)

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ComputersThey're computing.

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DigitalComputersApple II, ca. 1977

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Visicalc (1979)"A magic sheet of paper that can perform calculations and recalculations."— Bob Frankston, Creator

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Lotus 1-2-3 (1983)Called 1-2-3 for three things:

1. A spreadsheet2. A database3. A charting tool

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Let's not say PC compatible. Instead, let's say '1-2-3 compatible.'— Infoworld February 27, 1984

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Microsoft Excel (~1993)

I told you this would be exciting.

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Google Sheets (~2012)

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Why Spreadsheets?Agricultural account tablet in Sumerian referring to flocks and herds. ca. 2400 BCE.

Harry Ransom CenterUniversity of Texas at Austin

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Create a New Spreadsheet

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Data.

http://bit.ly/data101charts

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Make A Copy.

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Live Demo #1.

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Data.

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Live Demo #2.

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Charts.

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Data...

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...Stories.

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Why Charts?Charts are shortcutsto understanding.

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Changes Humans Notice

• Color

• Area

• Angle

• Length

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ColorUse for categories

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AreaUse to show differences

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AnglesUse to highlightconvergence or divergence

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LengthUse for comparisons

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A 5% change matters• 5% lighter

• 5% Bigger

• 5% Rotated

• 5% Longer

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What to use and when.

• Color: Indicate Categories

• Area: Highlight Differences

• Angle: Show Convergence

• Length: Compare Differences

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The partsof a chart.

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Remove Chart Junk

Only keep what you needto tell your story.

The rest is distraction.

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Live Demo #3

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Choosinga chart type.

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Ask a question:What type of fruit do I like?

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Pie ChartsFor comparing percentages

—No more than 4 or 5 slices.—Limited accuracy.—Easy to understand.

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Ask a question:What fruit do I eat the most of?

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Bar ChartFor comparing values

—Can have many values.—Good accuracy.—Easy to understand.—Zeros show up.

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Ask a question:What fruit did I eat more of last week?

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Bar ChartsFor comparing values

—Can have many values.—Good accuracy.—Easy to understand.—Zeros show up.

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Bar ChartsFor comparing values

—Can have many values.—Good accuracy.—Easy to understand.—Zeros show up.

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Ask a question:What week did I eat more fruit?

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Stacked BarsFor comparing totals

—Harder to understand.—Good when you don't care

about the individual values

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Different charts tell different stories.

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Pie ChartsComparing percentages

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Ask a question:What percent of the fruit I eat are apples?

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Pie ChartsComparing a part to the whole

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Pie ChartsContextual Colors

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Pie ChartsIncorrect Colors

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Pie ChartsToo Subtle Colors

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Color can help or hinder telling your story.

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No. Just...no.

We read chartsleft to right; bottom to top.

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Charts vs. GraphsA Chart shows quantitativechange over one axis

A Graph compares quantitative change over two axis

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Ask a question:How does my fruit consumption change over time?

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Live Demo #4.

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Line Graphs

A continuous value over time

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Smoothed Line Graph

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Ask a question:What does my annual fruit consumption look like?

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Many Values: Line Graph

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Many Values: Smooth Line Graph

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Many Values: Histogram

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Area Graph

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Sometimes,the data needs help.

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Live Demo #5

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Line Chart

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Datasets

https://data.wprdc.org/dataset/pghhttps://data.wprdc.org/dataset/project-budgets

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Don't be afraid to leave the spreadsheet.

• PowerPoint• Paint• Pencils

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https://public.tableau.comData 101. David Newbury — @workergnome 80

Resources—http://www.datavizcatalogue.com—http://www.visualisingdata.com—https://eagereyes.org

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Thank You.David Newbury (@workergnome)

Data 101: Making Charts from Spreadsheets

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