Comments on: The Inner Beauty of Business Charts http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/the-inner-beauty-of-business-charts/ Business Charts, Done Right Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:52:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: sathya http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/the-inner-beauty-of-business-charts/comment-page-1/#comment-9956 sathya Wed, 05 May 2010 13:47:34 +0000 http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/?p=462#comment-9956 Hi, This is the second time I am visiting your visit... and probably my comment for a 10 month old blog will tell you how much i have thru it.. I am just a beginner in the arena of social research and trying to do data analysis.. 'I am a business analyst, not a graphic designer' is the strongest statement that had made me to write this comment. It is true people are more worried about the beautification of the material than for the utility of it. I suppose we are letting more 'graphic designers' encroaching the arena of social research, most of the them (not all) who cannot even comprehend or at least try to understand the utility of the data that is to be presented. I was just reading ur Tufte blog... u just wont believe that just today I got hold his book on 'Data visualisation'. Let me read the book and comment on ur blog on the same.. I think now in 2010 given the growth in the data visualisation field, the old war between the beauty vs. the brain has started again.. And Jorge... I am an young researcher in the development sector from India.. hope I will learn a lot from you and your site.. I have already started.. Thank u and continue ur work.. Hi,
This is the second time I am visiting your visit… and probably my comment for a 10 month old blog will tell you how much i have thru it..
I am just a beginner in the arena of social research and trying to do data analysis..
‘I am a business analyst, not a graphic designer’ is the strongest statement that had made me to write this comment. It is true people are more worried about the beautification of the material than for the utility of it. I suppose we are letting more ‘graphic designers’ encroaching the arena of social research, most of the them (not all) who cannot even comprehend or at least try to understand the utility of the data that is to be presented. I was just reading ur Tufte blog… u just wont believe that just today I got hold his book on ‘Data visualisation’. Let me read the book and comment on ur blog on the same.. I think now in 2010 given the growth in the data visualisation field, the old war between the beauty vs. the brain has started again..
And Jorge… I am an young researcher in the development sector from India.. hope I will learn a lot from you and your site.. I have already started.. Thank u and continue ur work..

]]> By: Seth Godin Is Getting It… http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/the-inner-beauty-of-business-charts/comment-page-1/#comment-843 Seth Godin Is Getting It… Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:51:24 +0000 http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/?p=462#comment-843 [...] do? First choice: be relentlessly creative. Can you do it? Good for you, I can’t. Second choice: make your charts invisible. Show the message, not the chart. Pie charts are spectacularly overrated. If you want to show me [...] [...] do? First choice: be relentlessly creative. Can you do it? Good for you, I can’t. Second choice: make your charts invisible. Show the message, not the chart. Pie charts are spectacularly overrated. If you want to show me [...]

]]> By: admin http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/the-inner-beauty-of-business-charts/comment-page-1/#comment-842 admin Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:28:11 +0000 http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/?p=462#comment-842 Jacob, many innocents will suffer, as usual, but we are going back to the basics, this time for real. Jerome, yes we had, and we still agree... The problem seems to be how to define "the right level of aesthetics". Today I saw yet another presentation where the presenter had no problem in presenting slides with multiple disks (3D pie charts). In (at least) one of the slides she had two one-slice pie charts, and she could be happier with it. As I often say, the problem is not the design, is the poor data analysis/management skills. Poor data visualization skills are the symptoms of a more serious condition. Jacob, many innocents will suffer, as usual, but we are going back to the basics, this time for real.

Jerome, yes we had, and we still agree… The problem seems to be how to define “the right level of aesthetics”. Today I saw yet another presentation where the presenter had no problem in presenting slides with multiple disks (3D pie charts). In (at least) one of the slides she had two one-slice pie charts, and she could be happier with it. As I often say, the problem is not the design, is the poor data analysis/management skills. Poor data visualization skills are the symptoms of a more serious condition.

]]> By: jerome http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/the-inner-beauty-of-business-charts/comment-page-1/#comment-841 jerome Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:11:05 +0000 http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/?p=462#comment-841 Hi Jorges, we've had that conversation before. Some tools or websites produce glossy charts for the sake of glossiness, or just to show they can. This is pointless. however the amount of design which is necessary to make a chart look acceptable is increasing. It's no longer OK to just let the data speak and consider aesthetics an afterthought. I'd argue for instance that on screen, using simple solid colours is neither the most legible, nor the most pleasing way to present information. The right level of aesthetics makes a chart easier to understand and retain. So while a pin-up chart is not commendable, it shouldn't be an eyesore either. you may want to check this: http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/emotion_design.html cheers jerome Hi Jorges,

we’ve had that conversation before. Some tools or websites produce glossy charts for the sake of glossiness, or just to show they can. This is pointless.

however the amount of design which is necessary to make a chart look acceptable is increasing. It’s no longer OK to just let the data speak and consider aesthetics an afterthought. I’d argue for instance that on screen, using simple solid colours is neither the most legible, nor the most pleasing way to present information. The right level of aesthetics makes a chart easier to understand and retain.

So while a pin-up chart is not commendable, it shouldn’t be an eyesore either. you may want to check this:
http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/emotion_design.html

cheers
jerome

]]> By: Jacob http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/the-inner-beauty-of-business-charts/comment-page-1/#comment-840 Jacob Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:52:48 +0000 http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/?p=462#comment-840 I couldn't agree more. Nothing is more upsetting than when someone is trying to "sell" an idea with a "sexy" chart. Just like a commercial in which advertisers use sex appeal as a selling point, you gotta question their intention and motivations for "sexying it up." If you have something real to share, just share it! We don't need 3D graphics or semi-nudity. Luckily, it seems that we're moving closer to a society in which the idea of pull advertisement has made people realize that people who are watching are making decisions. Hopefully ideas like sleek, 3D charts will disappear..... I couldn’t agree more. Nothing is more upsetting than when someone is trying to “sell” an idea with a “sexy” chart. Just like a commercial in which advertisers use sex appeal as a selling point, you gotta question their intention and motivations for “sexying it up.”

If you have something real to share, just share it! We don’t need 3D graphics or semi-nudity. Luckily, it seems that we’re moving closer to a society in which the idea of pull advertisement has made people realize that people who are watching are making decisions. Hopefully ideas like sleek, 3D charts will disappear…..

]]> By: admin http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/the-inner-beauty-of-business-charts/comment-page-1/#comment-839 admin Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:45:13 +0000 http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/?p=462#comment-839 Gabriela, I know this post is not exactly safe-for-work (and I will not tell you what my first choice was...) but I wanted to be bluntly clear about the use of "sexy" charts in a business environment. Thanks for your message and good luck with your new blog. I think I wrote somewhere that my previous blog was written in Portuguese and I had to give up after a year because no one seemed to care (maybe it was my fault... I have to try again). Hope the Spanish-speaking world is more willing to interact. Gabriela, I know this post is not exactly safe-for-work (and I will not tell you what my first choice was…) but I wanted to be bluntly clear about the use of “sexy” charts in a business environment.

Thanks for your message and good luck with your new blog. I think I wrote somewhere that my previous blog was written in Portuguese and I had to give up after a year because no one seemed to care (maybe it was my fault… I have to try again). Hope the Spanish-speaking world is more willing to interact.

]]> By: Gabriela Cerra http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/the-inner-beauty-of-business-charts/comment-page-1/#comment-838 Gabriela Cerra Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:12:17 +0000 http://www.excelcharts.com/blog/?p=462#comment-838 This is my first visit to your site, and I really liked. I was looking for ideas for data visualization and I couldn't stop reading many of your posts. I should confess that I almost left the site without reading anything when the first thing I saw was a nude woman picture; it wouldn’t be good if someone at work saw what was in my screen. Anyway, I just started my own blog about Excel, it is in Spanish, but it is still empty. I hope I can help at least a little to Spanish talking people to stop being “eternal Excel beginners”, as you said in one of your posts Congratulations for your good work. This is my first visit to your site, and I really liked. I was looking for ideas for data visualization and I couldn’t stop reading many of your posts. I should confess that I almost left the site without reading anything when the first thing I saw was a nude woman picture; it wouldn’t be good if someone at work saw what was in my screen. Anyway, I just started my own blog about Excel, it is in Spanish, but it is still empty. I hope I can help at least a little to Spanish talking people to stop being “eternal Excel beginners”, as you said in one of your posts

Congratulations for your good work.

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