Visualizing Data in Excel Geof Hileman, FSA Kennell & Associates, Inc June 4, 2012

Visualizing Data in Excel

Geof Hileman, FSAKennell & Associates, Inc

June 4, 2012

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY2

Do you need a chart?

But first … do you really need a chart?

Questions to consider:1) Will the audience need the raw data anyway?2) Are you trying to communicate something about the relationship between two variables (or one variable over time?)3) Is the data being represented reference data to be used for another purpose?

You may be better off with a clean data table.

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Are you trying to present data for analysis or telling the reader one number?

Don’t make your audience work just because you wanted to make a graph!

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

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Pictorial superiority effect:- After 72 hours, 10 percent of information presented orally will be recalled.- 65 percent of information presented pictorially will be recalled.

How much of this slide will you remember?


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Pictorial Superiority Effect72-Hour Recall

10% 65%

Presented Orally

Presented Pictorially


Better Excel ChartsWhat about “Chart Junk”?

Chart Junk (Tufte, 1983): The interior decoration of graphics generates a lot of ink which does not tell the viewer anything new. The general purpose of the decoration varies – to make the graphic appear more scientific, to enliven the display, to give the designer an opportunity to exercise artistic skill. Regardless of its cause, it is all non-data-ink or redundant data-ink, and it is often chartjunk.


Better Excel ChartsWhat about “Chart Junk”?

Direct Care

Purchased Care

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FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10

PMPM

PMPMs by Source, FY06 to FY09Navy Enrollees

$0.000$50.000

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PMPM


Purchased Care vs. Direct Care

Purchased Care

Direct Care


Better Excel ChartsLine Graphs

Avoid use of a legend whenever possible.

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Better Excel ChartsLine Graphs – Secondary Axis

A secondary axis can be used to combined two concepts on a single chart, but beware of confusing the reader.

• Add the data series to the chart.• May have to change the axes to make visible.• Choose new series; “Format Data Series”; “Series Options”; “Plot on Secondary Axis”

Direct Care

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Enrollment

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Use trendlines to tell the story.

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Additional suggestions:- Logarithmic scale can be useful.- If it’s too busy, try multiple graphs.- Data markers are often unnecessary.- Be careful with color.

Please don’t make this graph!


Better Excel ChartsBar Graphs

A bar chart’s purpose should be to illustrate differences in relative magnitude.

Critical decision is how to group the bars. Consider the six possible choices in the example to the right.

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Inpatient Outpatient Pharmacy TOTAL

ADFM

San Diego Navy


Better Excel ChartsColumns or Bars?

$- $5,000 $10,000 $15,000 $20,000 $25,000

Facility EFacility FFacility TFacility HFacility DFacility UFacility IFacility SFacility AFacility BFacility QFacility NFacility CFacility KFacility J

Facility RFacility PFacility LFacility GFacility OFacility M

Cost per RWP - Pregnancy

$-

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

$20,000

$25,000

Facil

ity E

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ity F

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Cost per RWP - Pregnancy


Better Excel ChartsBar Graphs

Can use overlapping bars to demonstrate relationships.

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0%

Total

PC Trend

How to …•Right click on the “inner” data series and choose “secondary axis”.

•Adjust the sliders until the desired effect is achieved.

•Set the axes to be identical.

•Delete one of the two axes.


Better Excel Charts

Which negative trend is more alarming?

Source: http://www.breezetree.com/blog/index.php/how-to-lie-with-graphs/

http://www.breezetree.com/blog/index.php/how-to-lie-with-graphs/


Better Excel ChartsWaterfall Charts

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-In

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Active Duty

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Gas Prices, 1991-2011

Starting Point Increases Decreases


Better Excel ChartsPie Charts

Pie charts are everywhere, but have gotten a bad reputation for being ineffective.

Purpose of a pie chart should be to compare a slice to the whole rather than to compare two slices.

Nervous system

Eye Ear, Nose, Throat

RespiratoryCirculatory

Digestive Hepobilatory

Musculoskeletal

Skin

Endocrine

Kidney

Male reproductive

Female reproductive

Pregnancy

Newborn / Neonates

Blood

Myeloproliferative DDs

Infectious Diseases

Mental disease

Alcohol / drug

abuse Injuries

Burns

FactorsTraumaHIV

Inpatient PMPM - ADFMs, FY09

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Why are pie charts poorly suited for comparing the contribution of two slices?

$0.00

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$2.96

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$4.21

$0.0 $0.5 $1.0 $1.5 $2.0 $2.5 $3.0 $3.5 $4.0 $4.5 $5.0

HIV

Eye

Male reproductive

Alcohol / drug abuse

Burns

Trauma

Factors

Myeloproliferative DDs

Skin

Blood

Infectious Diseases

Injuries

Kidney

Ear, Nose, Throat

Hepobilatory

Circulatory

Nervous system

Female reproductive

Musculoskeletal

Endocrine

Respiratory

Mental disease

Digestive

Newborn / Neonates

Pregnancy


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Tips for effective pie charts:- Make sure you’re using them for the right reason.- Think carefully about data labels, legends.- Don’t go 3-D – it just makes the eyeball’s job even harder.- Let color complement, not distract.

Image source: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/07/bar-graphs-vs-p.html


Better Excel ChartsThe Speedometer

Speedometer charts, while not straightforward to create, can be powerful tools in displaying a status relative to established benchmarks.

Image source: http://peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts/Speedometer.html

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Dashboards

Dashboard: A collection of graphs and/or tables summarizing established key performance metrics.Dashboards Reports

• Intended for quick consumption

• Target audience: upper level management

• Purpose is to alert decision makers to potential areas of concern, leading to additional analyses

• Standardized and uniform. Require lots of planning.

•Measures metrics against predetermined benchmarks

• Intended to answer multiple possible questions

• Target audience: analysts •Purpose: to provide answers to questions that might come from executive reviews of dashboards

•More flexible and contextual. More development time than planning.

•Just the factsFOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

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Dashboards


Source: http://www.iexecutivedashboard.com/solution/screenshots.html

Sample dashboard:• Uses color to make the

point• Uniform view on the

page• Integrated into a web

page• Single page

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Dashboard Concepts with Excel

Conditional formatting can turn an ordinary table into a flexible dashboard-type presentation of data.

Facility Cost per RWPFacility E 22,107$ Facility F 18,750$ Facility T 17,906$ Facility H 17,372$ Facility D 16,667$ Facility U 16,245$ Facility I 15,952$ Facility S 14,988$ Facility A 14,893$ Facility B 14,575$ Facility Q 13,745$ Facility N 13,658$ Facility C 13,600$ Facility K 13,411$ Facility J 13,013$ Facility R 12,409$ Facility P 11,826$ Facility L 9,591$ Facility G 8,357$ Facility O 8,279$ Facility M 6,072$



Original Color Scales Data Bars IconsFacility Cost per RWPFacility E 22,107$ Facility F 18,750$ Facility T 17,906$ Facility H 17,372$ Facility D 16,667$ Facility U 16,245$ Facility I 15,952$ Facility S 14,988$ Facility A 14,893$ Facility B 14,575$ Facility Q 13,745$ Facility N 13,658$ Facility C 13,600$ Facility K 13,411$ Facility J 13,013$ Facility R 12,409$ Facility P 11,826$ Facility L 9,591$ Facility G 8,357$ Facility O 8,279$ Facility M 6,072$


Dashboard Concepts with Excel

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Documents

Visualizing Data in Excel Geof Hileman, FSA Kennell & Associates, Inc June 4, 2012