

Ask HN: Which are the best ways to visualize data? - krnshrm

Excel&#x27;s data visualization lack design edge. What would you recommend as an alternative to create nice data visualizations?
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lutusp
> Excel's data visualization lack design edge.

True, and uncontroversial.

> What would you recommend as an alternative to create nice data
> visualizations?

This is easy to ask and difficult to answer -- there are any number of ways to
create a punchy data visualization, and more every day. The choices are so
numerous that one feels an obligation to say, "It depends on what's being
presented."

If the data naturally have more than one dimension, then the presentation
should also. There are many very nice ways to present complex data -- but
those methods look misapplied if the data are simple.

Google for "impressive graphs" to see some examples:

[https://www.google.com/search?q=impressive+graphs&tbm=isch&t...](https://www.google.com/search?q=impressive+graphs&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ)

The Google search shows that one can easily go overboard with graphs, with the
perverse effect of reducing the usefulness or understandability of the
display.

