Skill 05: Data Visualization
Fundamentals
In simple terms, Communicating Insights Effectively!!!!!!
Data visualization is a powerful way to turn raw data into meaningful insights. Through charts,
graphs, and visual representations, it becomes easier to communicate complex information in a
simple, understandable format. This is especially valuable for making data-driven decisions, as
visualizations allow us to spot trends, patterns, and outliers quickly.
Today, we will dive into the basics of data visualization using Google Sheets, covering why it’s
essential, how to choose the right chart type, and steps to create visuals in Sheets that
effectively communicate insights.
Before we dive into how we can visualize data let’s understand the basics first:
1. Why Data Visualization Matters?
Data visualization is crucial because:
Simplifies complex data: Large datasets can be overwhelming. Visualizations help in
breaking down data to make it more digestible.
Enhances insight discovery: Trends, correlations, and patterns are easier to spot with
visuals.
Improves decision-making: Well-designed visuals aid in data-driven decisions by
highlighting key points clearly.
Makes data accessible: Visuals make data more understandable and accessible to everyone,
regardless of technical knowledge.
2. Google Sheets as a Data Visualization Tool
Google Sheets is often seen as a spreadsheet tool, but it’s powerful for basic data visualization,
with features like:
Built-in chart types: Sheets provides bar, line, pie, scatter, and more chart types.
Customizable visuals: Google Sheets allows customization for better clarity and emphasis.
Easy sharing: You can easily share, collaborate, and present data in Sheets.
Google Sheets is an excellent platform for beginners to practice data visualization before moving
to more advanced tools.
Let’s visualize a dataset in real time and try to understand visualization better. You can import this
data set in your google sheet using this link
[Link]
it?usp=sharing and perform the following task step by step :
Case Study: Monthly Sales Analysis for Miniso
Background:
Miniso, a popular retail brand known for its affordable and stylish everyday products, wants to
analyze monthly sales data for two product categories: Electronics and Clothing. They’re focused
on understanding how their North and South regional stores are performing and identifying any
trends that could help optimize their sales strategy.
Objective:
The goal is to analyze sales data to determine how Electronics and Clothing sales compare
between the North and South regions and to see if there are any trends over time.
Sales Data for Miniso
Here’s a sample dataset that Miniso’s team has gathered for January and February.
Month Region Product Sales ($)
January North Electronics 10,000
January North Clothing 8,000
January South Electronics 9,000
January South Clothing 7,500
February North Electronics 11,500
February North Clothing 8,200
February South Electronics 9,500
February South Clothing 7,800
Visualizing the Data in Google Sheets
To help Miniso’s team interpret this data, let’s create a simple bar chart.
1. Enter the Data: Input this data into Google Sheets.
2. Select Data for Pivot table:
Highlight the Month, Region, Product, and Sales columns.
Go to Insert > Pivot Table
Select create to get to create pivot table in new sheet.
3. Drag and Drop:
Drag and drop the following to get a new table
a. Region in Rows
b. Product in Columns
c. Sales in Values
A new table is formed now select this complete table and insert Chart.
Chart will appear on your screen customize it according to your understanding.
Interpretation:
By looking at the column chart, you’ll be able to quickly see which product category (Clothing or
Electronics) has higher sales in each region. For instance, Electronics has taller bars in the North
region, it indicates that Electronics is performing better there.
Conclusion
Using a simple chart in Google Sheets, Miniso can gain valuable insights into sales trends by
product category and region. This type of visualization helps them quickly identify high-
performing areas and adjust their strategy to maximize growth.
