Google Slides has been used for many professional presentations that include data visualization for over a decade. It’s an easy way to showcase big amounts of data, understandably. Google Slides is a convenient application with all the tools necessary to create an impactful deck of slides with data visualization.
Why Use Google Slides Over Other Options?
Although Google Slides was only developed in 2006, it has been preferred by many professionals since then. Why? Here are the main reasons people choose Google Slides to create their data visualization fueled decks for presentation:
1. Capable, Web-Based Tool for Professionals
Even though Google Slides can create presentation decks on par with programs like PowerPoint or KeyNote, it doesn’t require much. It only needs your computer’s browser (it doesn’t even need the internet). The toolset available in it allows you to create the most creative and interactive slides you can imagine.
2. Easy Media Integration
In fact, if you want your deck of slides to have various media integrated straight into the presentation, Google Slides is probably the easiest program to do it. It can easily take photos, videos, links, even flash animations. It’s so easy to work with that many people decide to create a unique and interesting google slides design for themselves with the available tools.
3. Easily Accessible and Transferrable
When using PowerPoint or KeyNote to create your presentation decks, you must always think about how you’ll transfer it to the other computer. Should you send it via email, carry it over with your flash drive, and so on? Google Slides removes this point completely because all you need to do on the new computer is log into your Google account, and that’s it.
Important Points for Data Visualization in Google Slides
Visualizing Data in your presentation deck of slides is a great way to explain a lot of complex information quickly. With your help, the audience quickly understands where the data is coming from and what it means. Nonetheless, there are a couple of factors you want to consider before filing your deck of slides with all the charts imaginable.
1. Be Aware of Your Audience
When you are creating a Google Slides presentation and employing data, you need to know your audience. If it’s business execs, then go ahead and stuff the presentation with statistical figures. If you’re showing off something to a collection of random non-professionals, then you don’t want to include tons of data. Focus on the most impactful figures and use the simplest charts available.
2. Create a Narration with Your Data
Visualized data should only support the information you’re trying to bring forwards, not replace it completely. Ensure that the visualized data is placed properly in your deck of slides and that it reflects your notes. You don’t want to fill your presentation with countless, unconnected graphs that you’re not even exploring in your speech.
3. Which Data Needs to Be Visualized
Data visualization is a form of art, especially when you are using Google Slides. There are many aspects to choosing which information you’re going to visualize in the end. One important aspect is whether the data you’re visualizing needs it. Sometimes, it’s just better to write in plain, big text «90% of customers after buying X went on to do Y.» Avoid nonsensical comparisons and are out of place.
4. Pick the Appropriate Charts for the Available Data
Another big mistake that you can do in Google Slides is using the wrong diagrams to visualize data. For example, whenever you have to show the development of something over time, pie charts shouldn’t be your first choice. By choosing an incorrect graph for data in your deck of slides, you might misrepresent information, which will only work against your ideas.
Main Diagrams and When to Utilize Them
There are many-many graphs that you can create within Google Slides. We’re going to cover only the 5 most popular and most used ones:
1. Vertical Bar Diagrams
Vertical bar diagrams can help think about various collections of information. Nonetheless, this kind of graph is ideal if you don’t have various information collections to break down. This diagram has indication bars directly up against one another. When you want to compare different main-line products visually, the vertical bar diagrams are perfect for this. These types of diagrams are easily understandable from the get-go.
2. Stacked Bar Graphs
Stacked bar graphs have the bars of information stacked atop one another. A stacked bar diagram is incredible on the off chance that you need to introduce information inside a set and look at the information inside that set. When you want to compare the effectiveness of a couple of production methodologies in several categories, stacked bar graphs are your best choice. Stacked bar graphs are a bit harder to understand immediately but still quite simple.
3. Reference Diagram
Stacked bar graphs have the bars of information stacked atop one another. A stacked bar diagram is incredible on the off chance that you need to introduce information inside a set and look at the information inside that set. When you want to compare the effectiveness of a couple of production methodologies in several categories, stacked bar graphs are your best choice. Stacked bar graphs are a bit harder to understand immediately but still quite simple.
4. Line Chart
A line chart is handy when showing the progress wide variety of data over some time. Comparing the net worth of different companies over extended periods would be the best example of this. Incredibly easy to get, line charts are very well known by all people.