Another popular way for people to lie with charts is to use a cone or pyramid chart. Episode 448 shows why your radar should go up anytime you see someone presenting data using these chart types.
This blog is the video netcast companion to the new book, Excel 2007 Miracles Made Easy and Charts and Graphs for Microsoft Office Excel 2007. Download a new two minute video every Tuesday and Thursday to learn one of the tips from the books!
This blog is the video netcast companion to the new book, Excel 2007 Miracles Made Easy and Charts and Graphs for Microsoft Office Excel 2007. Download a new two minute video every Tuesday and Thursday to learn one of the tips from the books!
Transcript of the video:
Hey Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast. I'm Bill Jelen.
On friday's netcast we talked about how people can use a 3D perspective on a pie chart to, misrepresent the data.
Today I want to talk about cone and pyramid charts.
Anytime when you see someone using these in a presentation, there's a pretty good bet that they're trying to hide something and we have a really simple data set here that shows how a non-profit is spending their money.
50% on research, 15% on grants and 35% is going to administration.
That's probably kind of high if we create a standard column chart from that You'll be able to see the story.
Expenses grants and administration.
This huge administration block up here.
Now let me make that chart a little bit smaller, so We'll be able to fit two of them on the screen, Here we go.
Okay now in this second chart. I want to change the chart type to a cone or a pyramid chart.
These charts severely misrepresent the data because whatever is closest to the bottom actually expands.
It looks like it's much larger and whatever category is closest to the top becomes much more narrow.
Now if you have to explain why you're spending so much on administration of this non profit?
which chart would you rather use?
On the chart on the left is going to show this huge block, the chart on the right makes it seem like it's just a tiny little bit of money being spent at the top.
you can add a title of that chart on the right that says expenses are minimal and very few people will question it.
Anytime you're sitting in a presentation and you see someone using, either a cone or a pyramid chart.
Stop and think about it. They're probably trying to misrepresent the data.
Hey, thanks for stopping by. We'll see you next time for another netcast from Mr Excel.
On friday's netcast we talked about how people can use a 3D perspective on a pie chart to, misrepresent the data.
Today I want to talk about cone and pyramid charts.
Anytime when you see someone using these in a presentation, there's a pretty good bet that they're trying to hide something and we have a really simple data set here that shows how a non-profit is spending their money.
50% on research, 15% on grants and 35% is going to administration.
That's probably kind of high if we create a standard column chart from that You'll be able to see the story.
Expenses grants and administration.
This huge administration block up here.
Now let me make that chart a little bit smaller, so We'll be able to fit two of them on the screen, Here we go.
Okay now in this second chart. I want to change the chart type to a cone or a pyramid chart.
These charts severely misrepresent the data because whatever is closest to the bottom actually expands.
It looks like it's much larger and whatever category is closest to the top becomes much more narrow.
Now if you have to explain why you're spending so much on administration of this non profit?
which chart would you rather use?
On the chart on the left is going to show this huge block, the chart on the right makes it seem like it's just a tiny little bit of money being spent at the top.
you can add a title of that chart on the right that says expenses are minimal and very few people will question it.
Anytime you're sitting in a presentation and you see someone using, either a cone or a pyramid chart.
Stop and think about it. They're probably trying to misrepresent the data.
Hey, thanks for stopping by. We'll see you next time for another netcast from Mr Excel.
