Unlock the secrets to using pie charts effectively with this step-by-step article! Learn how to transform your data storytelling by avoiding common pitfalls, mastering design best practices, and ensuring your visualizations convey clear, impactful insights.

This article highlights common misuses of pie charts —like having too many categories or using 3D designs—and provides practical fixes to improve your visualizations. Learn how to enhance clarity, make accurate comparisons, and choose the right chart type for your data, ensuring your visuals effectively communicate your message. Don’t let poor chart design distort your data!

Explore the power of line charts in our ongoing series on data visualization. This article explains how to create impactful line charts using Excel 365. This tutorial not only guides you through chart creation but also emphasizes data visualization best practices to enhance clarity and professionalism. Whether you're new to charting or refining your skills, this article equips you with essential techniques for visually compelling data storytelling.

While traditional bar charts are both straightforward and powerful for data representation, there are instances when we seek innovative alternatives to breathe new life into our reports. Enter the lollipop chart. Learn how to develop them in Excel here.

In this first instalment of our Data Visualization Applications series, we'll guide you through the art of transforming raw data into compelling visualizations. We kick things off by delving into the power and simplicity of the bar chart. By following these steps and best practices, you'll elevate your charts to ensure your data speaks clearly and convincingly. Stay tuned for more insights and techniques in our Data Visualization Applications series.

Want visuals that best express your data story? Here are some ideas to clean up those charts and help make them pop.

Many of us have come across reports that feel cramped, unengaging, and let’s face it, a little bit boring! Dedicating some time to designing your report before writing can significantly affect its overall quality. By taking some time to focus on design, you can create a report that is not only refined and professional, but also visually appealing. Here are my 10 tips for designing quality reports!

So you've successfully gathered the data you need to evaluate your program. But how do you engage stakeholders and partners to ensure a thorough understanding of the results? A data party could be part of the answer!

The end goal of collecting data is to eventually draw meaningful insights from said data. However, the transition from raw data to meaningful insights is not always a linear path. Data are prone to human-error and this guide will help you correct those errors, as well as provide tips on how to minimize these errors in the future.

When I hear “we need a dashboard,” what I hear is “we need relatively current information that we can quickly understand and trust, and we want it on one page.” But a dashboard may or may not be the best way to fulfill that need. Here, I’ll clarify what a dashboard is, and what it isn’t, then provide a checklist you can use to decide if your program or organization needs one.

Don’t get us wrong, surveys are useful tools and we’re a fan of any survey platform that makes it easier to use the results. But what about when you want to scratch beneath the surface or present a legible graph that will convince the program director or funder that action needs to be taken? This is where the canned survey tools start to falter.

In the past, I have been guilty of putting any and all data I could into a report. I’m talking pages of charts to show ALL the results. If I’m being honest, in some instances, I didn’t know what the point was. I put in as much detail as I could to shift the burden of deciphering the meaning behind the data to my reader.

A tutorial on creating column charts in Microsoft Excel. Learn the basics of creating and transforming your column charts into something clean, informative, and impactful.

A recent study in the American Journal of Evaluation showed how three simple visual design principles could be applied to logic models to make them more effective and understandable. This article summarizes the findings of that study so you can improve your logic model.

The process of writing an evaluation report is like cooking. It can be a joyful and meditative process for some and an annoying necessity for others. Both cooking and report writing take practice; the more you do them, the more you refine your processes and find your own groove. While there is no formula to create a perfect reporting process, there are some key steps that can set you up for success.

This blog post explores augmented and virtual reality and how evaluators can use this technology. If you don’t know what VR is then keep reading – you may find some ideas for transforming your evaluation practice.

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to AEA’s annual evaluation conference this year (I chose a Mai Tai on the beaches of Maui instead). However, one of the wonderful things about the Internet is that I was able to feel like I was part of the conference by following #eval19 on Twitter. So what was my one big takeaway through the Twitter lens? Of course, it came from the evaluation guru himself, Michael Quinn Patton (MQP) – “Evaluating transformation means transforming evaluation.”