Skill 06: Chart Types in Google

Sheets

Using Data Visualization for Budget Analysis

Scenario:
Imagine a user tracking their monthly expenses for groceries, bills, and entertainment over
several months. Each month, they manually record expenses in a Google Sheet.
Challenge:
Sifting through rows of numbers to analyze spending patterns is time-consuming and offers
little clarity on budget allocation.

Solution:
By creating a Pie Chart in Google Sheets, the user can visualize the distribution of expenses.
This chart highlights which category consumes the largest portion of the budget, making it
immediately clear where adjustments can be made.
Impact:
With this visual insight, the user can quickly identify spending patterns, make more informed
financial decisions, and adjust their budget to better align with financial goals.

Conclusion:
This case illustrates how data visualization simplifies complex data, reveals patterns, and
enhances decision-making.

So now that you know about why is data visualization using charts is so important lets look at
the difference between charts and graph. key step i.e. how you can insert a chart in your
spreadsheet

Understanding the Difference Between Charts and Graphs

People often mix up charts and graphs, but they’re not exactly the same.

Charts are a broad category that covers any way of visually displaying data. This includes
things like bar charts, pie charts, and line charts. They help to summarize and show specific
information in a clear way.

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Graphs are more specific. They focus on showing the relationship between different data
points on a coordinate system (with x and y axes). For example, a graph can help you see
how one thing changes in response to another.

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Knowing these differences can help you choose the right way to show data, making it easier for
people to understand the information accurately and clearly. But how do you insert a chart or
graph?

How to Insert a Chart in Google Sheets

Step 1: Select Your Data Range

The first step in creating a chart in Google Sheets is to select your data range. Highlight the
cells containing the data you want to visualize. Ensure your selection includes headers for better
labeling.

Proper data selection is crucial for accurate and meaningful charts. This initial step sets the
foundation for the subsequent chart creation process, impacting the overall clarity and
effectiveness of the visualization.

Step 2: Insert Chart

Once your data range is selected, insert a chart. Click on the "Insert" menu and choose "Chart".
Google Sheets will generate a default chart based on your data. This step is essential as it
transitions your raw data into a visual format. From here, you can customize and refine the
chart to better represent your information and insights.

Step 3: Choose Chart Type

After inserting the chart, the next step is to choose the chart type. In the chart editor, you can
select from various types like line, bar, pie, and more. Each chart type serves different purposes
and highlights specific data aspects. Selecting the right chart type ensures your data is
presented in the most effective and understandable way.

Step 4: Customize Data Series

Customizing data series involves adjusting the appearance and behavior of your chart's data
points. In Google Sheets, you can change colors, and line styles, and add data labels to enhance
readability.

Customization helps highlight key data points and make the chart more informative. This step
is crucial for tailoring the chart to your specific needs and making it visually appealing.

By transforming raw data into visual representations, Google Sheets charts help users identify
trends, patterns, and insights quickly and effectively. This capability enhances decision-making
processes and supports more compelling presentations and reports. Now that you know how
you can insert a chart in google sheets let’s look at what are the different types of charts and
graphs that are available and also see which one to use when:

Types of Charts and Graphs and How to Make Them

Google Sheets offers various chart types, including bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, and
scatter plots. To create these charts, select your data and choose the desired chart type from
the chart editor.

Each chart type serves different purposes; for example, bar charts are excellent for comparing
categorical data, while line graphs are ideal for showing trends over time. Customizing each
chart involves adjusting settings specific to each type, such as colors, axis labels, and data points.

1. Column Chart
Use When: Comparing data across categories or showing changes over time.
Description: Vertical bars represent data, making it easy to compare quantities.
Example: Monthly sales numbers for different product categories.

2. Bar Chart
 Use When: Comparing quantities across categories when the labels are too long to fit in a
column chart.
Description: Horizontal bars make this chart especially useful for data with long category
names.
Example: Survey results where each question has a long description.

3. Line Chart

Use When: Tracking trends over time with a continuous data series.
Description: Lines connect data points to show increases, decreases, or fluctuations over
time.
Example: Yearly revenue trends for a company over multiple years.

4. Area Chart

Use When: Showing cumulative trends or tracking changes in multiple data series over time.
Description: Similar to a line chart, but with the area below the line filled in, emphasizing
the magnitude.
 Example: Website traffic from various sources (organic, direct, social) over a year.

5. Pie Chart

Use When: Showing the proportion of a whole for a single data series.
Description: Displays data as slices of a circle, each representing a percentage of the total.
Example: Market share of different brands in a product category.

6. Donut Chart
 Use When: Similar to a pie chart, but with a central blank area for additional context or
label.
Description: A ring-shaped chart to show parts of a whole, useful if you want to place the
main metric in the center.
Example: Customer demographics breakdown, with the total number of customers in the
center.

7. Scatter Plot

Use When: Displaying relationships or correlations between two variables.

Description: Dots represent data points on two axes, ideal for showing correlations or
distributions.
Example: Relationship between advertising spend and revenue.
8. Bubble Chart

Use When: Visualizing three dimensions of data (x-axis, y-axis, and bubble size).
Description: Like a scatter plot but with the size of the bubbles representing an additional
variable.
Example: Comparing company size, revenue, and growth rate simultaneously.

9. Histogram

Use When: Showing the distribution of data across intervals or groups.

Description: Displays frequency distribution, useful for analyzing ranges or groupings.
Example: Examining the distribution of exam scores within a class.
10. Combo Chart

Use When: Displaying multiple types of data (e.g., quantity and percentage) in a single chart.
Description: Combines two chart types (often line and column) in one, making it versatile
for mixed data.
Example: Showing revenue (bars) and profit margin (line) in one chart.

11. Candlestick Chart

Use When: Analyzing financial data, especially stock prices.

Description: Displays opening, closing, high, and low values for data points, commonly used
in stock market analysis.
Example: Daily or weekly price fluctuations of a stock.
12. Radar Chart

Use When: Comparing multiple variables for different entities on a multi-dimensional scale.
Description: Also known as a spider chart, each axis represents a different variable.
Example: Comparing performance metrics (like speed, strength, agility) across several
athletes.

13. Gauge Chart

Use When: Displaying a single key metric or performance indicator relative to a goal.
Description: A dial-like chart that visually shows a value within a range, often used for KPIs.
Example: Showing progress toward a sales target or performance goal.
14. Tree map Chart

Use When: Displaying hierarchical data or comparing part-to-whole relationships within

categories.
Description: Uses nested rectangles to represent different categories, with larger
rectangles showing larger values.
Example: Visualizing the revenue contributions of product categories and subcategories.

15. Waterfall Chart

Use When: Showing how sequential positive and negative values affect a cumulative total.
Description: Displays changes in a value over time or across categories, where each bar
starts where the previous one ended.
Example: Breaking down profit changes by showing how expenses and income affect net
profit.
16. Map Chart

Use When: Visualizing data across geographical regions.

Description: Displays values on a map, color-coding areas based on data values, useful for
regional or national data.
Example: Showing sales performance or population data across different countries or states.
17. Timeline Chart

Use When: Displaying events or values over a continuous time period with more detailed
intervals.
Description: Allows you to track values with granularity over time, which is ideal for project
timelines or chronological events.
Example: Visualizing project milestones, key events, or historical data trends.

By understanding the strengths of each chart type and aligning them with your data story, you
can communicate insights more effectively and engage your audience with clear and visually
appealing presentations. Always choose a chart type that best aligns with your data's structure
and your intended message.