People remember and easily respond to visual data such as images more than words. Visualization helps simplify complex information into easy-to-understand data.
Small and start-up businesses use Excel spreadsheets for effective data visualization and analytical operations. MS Excel doesn’t have an extensive custom charts library for research, marketing, and analysis.
However, when you use Excel templates, MS Excel becomes a very efficient and powerful data visualization and analysis tool. It would be best to use templates when working on an Excel dashboard.
This article will share ideas on using Excel spreadsheet templates for data analysis and visualization and steps on how to create templates in Excel.
Data Visualization: Definition and Benefits
Data visualization presents data in a graph, map, chart, or any other visual format. Data is transformed into a visual element to aid your readers to easily understand and absorb the information.
Using data visualization has several benefits. First, data visualization allows you to relay your message more clearly and understandably. It also helps process large amounts of data.
When data visualization is paired with spreadsheets, spreadsheets become a powerful tool for organizing raw data to help you make sense of your data set. When you input accurate and reliable data, you can make better decisions for your business.
You can create effective templates for data analysis and visualization using highly customizable and editable spreadsheet templates. Simple Sheets offers more than a hundred Excel spreadsheet templates and more than 350 graphs, charts, and dashboards that you can use for your next project.
Samples of Excel Chart Templates With Data Visualization
Creating charts is not always easy and requires constant practice. However, using chart templates can make charting easier and work accomplished faster. With Excel, you can create advanced chart types.
Below are some Excel charts templates that allow readable visual storytelling diagrams.
1. Dynamic Chart Templates
You can use a dynamic chart template to display key metrics from a large amount of data. You can improve your charts by adding a drop-down list, radio buttons, or spin buttons. Dynamic charts use a line chart to represent data.
2. Gauge Chart
A gauge chart offers information about a single data point. The logic behind the gauge chart is similar to that of a speedometer. It uses three colors: red, amber or yellow, and green.
These colors are used to easily compare the actual and planned values. A gauge chart uses both a pie chart and a doughnut chart to represent data. This chart is attractive and easy to understand.
3. Panel Chart
You can create a panel chart in an Excel spreadsheet. This chart is great when you want to make small yet multiple comparisons.
Panel charts use grouped graphs; don’t use a column chart or a busy line. You don’t even need a pivot table to create a panel chart.
4. Forecast Chart
A forecast chart is used when you show the actual and forecasted data values in one graph. You can create a forecast chart by combining three line charts.
5. Bullet Chart
Try the bullet chart if you are looking for an alternative to a gauge chart and want to save more space. This chart shows the actual data vs. target data using bands. It transforms data using color, position, length, and height. You may also use segmented bar charts to represent complex data.
Steps on How to Create a New Excel Template
Below are the steps to create an Excel template for data visualization and analysis.
1. Create a Template Using Existing Data
First, you need to click on Excel Template. Then, select a record type (existing data) to use on your spreadsheet template. Next, select View.
Next, click Edit Columns to add, remove or adjust a column in your template. You can finally create your template file by clicking on Download File.
More than 50 records are being exported while creating an Excel template.
2. Customize Data
After creating your Excel template, you can now begin customizing sample data. Click on Enable Editing to begin customization. You can start to add columns and encode formulas. Don’t use cell addresses; instead, define data points and use names.
You can also add pivot tables and graphs to your spreadsheet. Once you are done adding the necessary elements to your spreadsheet, you can save your work.
