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Effective Data Visualization: The Right Chart for the Right Data
Written by sought-after speaker, designer, and researcher Stephanie D. H. Evergreen, Effective Data Visualization shows readers how to create Excel charts and graphs that best communicate data findings. This comprehensive how-to guide functions as a set of blueprints—supported by research and the author’s extensive experience with clients in industries all over the world—for conveying data in an impactful way. Delivered in Evergreen’s humorous and approachable style, the book covers the spectrum of graph types available beyond the default options, how to determine which one most appropriately fits specific data stories, and easy steps for making the chosen graph in Excel.
262 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 22, 2016
130 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie D.H. Evergreen
10Ìýbooks25ÌýfollowersDr. Stephanie Evergreen is an internationally-recognized speaker, designer, and researcher. She is best known for bringing a research-based approach to helping researcher better communicate their work through more effective graphs, slides, and reports. She holds a PhD in interdisciplinary research, which included a dissertation on the extent of graphic design use in written research reporting. Dr. Evergreen has trained researchers worldwide through keynote presentations and workshops, for clients including Time, Verizon, Head Start, American Institutes for Research, Rockefeller Foundation, Brookings Institute, and the United Nations. She is the 2015 recipient of the American Evaluation Association’s Guttentag award, given for notable accomplishments early in a career. She writes a popular blog on data presentation at StephanieEvergreen.com. Her first book, Presenting Data Effectively: Communicating Your Findings for Maximum Impact, was published by Sage in Fall 2013. Her second book, Effective Data Visualization, was published in Spring 2016. Both books hit #1 on Amazon bestseller lists. Presenting Data Effectively is now in its second edition.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 30, 2017
I have often looked at wonderfully visual reports and wondered how can one make data speak for itself. This book offers great tools and insights for simple data visualizations. For anyone looking to improve data visualization skills.. this book is worth its weight in gold.
March 27, 2019
I really like the author’s blog and wanted to get her book after I missed a workshop she conducted at the ATP Conference this year. However, the book wasn’t very helpful as an overview to data visualization, it was mostly just examples of creating plots in excel. I found the data visualization checklist on her website to me much more useful:
Might refer to again for strictly Excel-based plotting, but probably won’t recommend.
Might refer to again for strictly Excel-based plotting, but probably won’t recommend.
December 6, 2018
Useful for anyone who is looking for creative ways to visualize basic quantitative data in the most effective way of getting your point across. Ironically, the biggest problem I have with the text is its format - graph and chart instructions are mixed with and written with the prose which makes following them a bit difficult and the 2-color print made it hard to discern the example charts with more than 2 data points.
September 25, 2020
This book provides instructions for creating data visualizations using Excel. It's more of a reference book than a guide book on data visualizations. Depending on the purpose of the visualization (such as comparison, change, status, or single number), refer to the applicable chapter. It will display "before" and "after" images and provide step-by-step instructions on creating it.
March 20, 2018
Really cool data visualization examples and how-to instructions in here. Great for grad students that want to excel. Each chapter is arranged by what sort of story you want to tell. Very good reference to have on hand when going to present data!
June 24, 2019
Very interesting. I liked the overview of different graph types with connection to the stories one would like to tell, but for me, there was to much focus on "Excel Ninja Skills". I don't use Excel so I skipped a lot.
January 14, 2018
Light reading, with simple step-by-step instructions with illustrations to guide the reader.
November 1, 2019
Great book for step-by-step instructions on how to create charts, and how to choose the chart to best illustrate the data you have.
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February 1, 2020302.23 E934 2020
May 2, 2021
It's a great book to learn data visualizations. The only thing is you should not read this book, rather work through the points, steps mentioned in the book to get the most out of it.
July 31, 2022
Focus is on visuals in excel. Great intro.
January 17, 2018
Really enjoyed sections of this book. I wish the science background and the technical “how to do this in Excel� parts were separated; I felt the technical “how to� aspects really slowed down the book and could have been an appendix or somehow organized differently. Overall, though, a good and accessible read.
July 12, 2016
This book is an excellent primer to effective data visualization. It is geared toward people who work in Excel, though it shouldn't be too difficult to find ways to getting the same graphs in R (or whatever program you use). It's a great mix of "how to" and "why," backed by scientific studies and personal experience. It's definitely worth having on any scientist's bookshelf, or better yet, on their desk so that it is easily referenced.
August 24, 2016
Microsoft Excel should be written all over the cover, but that is such a tiny criticism of a fantastic book. Very, very practical, step by step guide how to tweak complex and simple charts. There are so many tips on how important presenting data is, you will be heavily indoctrinated at the end...but for the better! I'm learning Tableau, which gets no mention here, but I shall certainly be taking the principles I have learned here to any data presentation I do from now on. Brilliant book!
August 23, 2016
Very useful book as a reference for when you want to show data in a more creative way than what's available in the default setting in Excel. The book is ideal for learning how to make the graphs on Excel. If you're interested in the concepts for good data visualization design, you'll need to look elsewhere.
September 3, 2018
This book has been incredibly helpful to me for work assignments.
April 3, 2023
Great reference tool
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
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