Creating Great Charts, Maps, and Diagrams

April 2012

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Logistics

After the session, I’ll send out:• The slides • A link to the recording• Any links we’ve discussed

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Introductions

Laura QuinnExecutive Director, Idealware

Kyle Andrei

Introductions: www.idealware.org

Resources and Services From Idealware

Online seminars and courses

In-person trainingConsulting to networks

Idealware is a 501(c)3 nonprofit!

Close to 300 existing free articles and reports

Commissioned articles and reports

The Field Guide to Software for Nonprofits

What We’ll Cover

• Six principles of data graphics• What kind of information do you have?

• Numeric• Location• Conceptual

• Bringing it all together

Call into the audio line at (712) 432-1001, access code 469085792#Google Voice does not seem to work with this number, but Skype does.

Six Principles of Good Information Graphics

1. Define Your Point

Pretty much every chart has a point of view

2. Accurately Represent Your Data

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In particular, treat your axes with respect

3. Tailor it to Your Audience

From Princeton Election Consortium

4. The Simpler the Better

Both graphs contain the same info. But the second is far easier to read.

5. Ensure it Speaks for Itself

6. Remove Everything You Can% US Adults Who Report Their Health as "Fair" or "Poor

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Income Below Poverty Line

Income 100- 200% of PovertyLine

Income More than 200% AbovePoverty Line

% US Adults Who Report Their Health as "Fair" or "Poor"

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Income BelowPoverty Line

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What Kind of Information Do You Have?

Numerical

Quantitative Data

Bar Charts Line Charts

Plotted Chart Pie Chart

Bar Charts: An Example

From Children Now’s “2009 California Report Card,” showing the relationship between race and preschool enrollment

Bubble Charts: An Example

The Sunlight Foundation’s interactive Many Eyes chart showing the relationship between political party funding and the party in power

Tools for Charting

Microsoft Excel Part of the Microsoft Office Suite. $18 per license for nonprofits on TechSoup.

Installed on Windows or Mac.

% US Adults Who Report Their Health as "Fair" or "Poor"

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Income BelowPoverty Line

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DeltaGraph

$129 per license

Installed, Mac or Windows

Google Docs Spreadsheet

Free

Online at docs.google.com

Many Eyes

Also consider:Google DocsSwivel Business

Free

Online at manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com

What Kind of Information Do You Have?

Location Data

Pins on a Map

Yadkin Riverkeeper’s Google map showing what they consider to be “pollution sites” created by Alcoa, a large corporate producer of aluminum.

Consider Google Maps or Google Earth

Thematic Mapping

Default map format – copyright Microsoft

Consider Microsoft MapPoint or Golden MapViewer

What Kind of Information Do You Have?

Conceptual

Flow Chart/Decision Tree

Hierarchical Chart

Process

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Relationships

Mind Map

A Graphic Guide to Facebook PortraitsBY DOOGIE HORNERhttp://www.fastcompany.com/1692957/facebook-profile-picture-flowchart

Tools for Conceptual Visualizations

Visio

Omnigraph

Gliffy

PowerPoint

FreeMind

Also consider Mindmeister or PersonalBrain

Bringing them Together

Infographics

Princeton Universitywww.princeton.edu/~ina/infographics

More Infographics

By M+R Strategies, From NTEN Change Journal http://www.nten.org/ntenchange

Dashboards

http://dashboard.imamuseum.org/

Other Resources

• Visual.ly• Periodic Table of Visualization Methods• Infosthetics.com

Questions?

Upcoming Idealware Seminars7/19: Choosing a Low Cost Donor Management System

7/21: Getting Started with Mobile Outreach

7/28: Telling Your Story with Blogs, Photos and Videos

8/11: Measuring Your Social Media Strategy

More at www.idealware.org/online-training

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