Sequencing is also an important factor to consider when you are designing panel charts. When you create Panel charts, it’s important that the setup of the data for the horizontal axis is as simplified as possible to make sure that the axis is not overcrowded.

It improves the readability of the Chart by adding a visual separator. If you click on the plot area you will see that dividers have been added to separate and distinguish each set of data-in this case, each company. In which case, our graphic would look like this:Įach chart should basically look like the identical twin of the other except that it is based on a different variable so that it shows a different series. Setting up Excel Panel Charts makes it very easy to compare not only each company’s performance on its own and how it did against budget, but also to compare each company with one another because they are right beside each other and they’re using the same axis. In this case we would create a chart matrix if we wanted to compare the sales revenue generated by two different products and compare this with other companies. Just make sure that you use a common axis, size, font, and spacing in all your charts. Great thing about this chart? IT’S JUST ONE CHART! You’ll end up with this:įor optimum readability, you can create what looks like multiple charts and format these horizontally. You might be tempted to just highlight the data and click on Insert – Line Chart. Small Chart Multiples Improve ReadabilityĪssume you’ve been given the task to create a chart that compares Actual and Budget Sales Revenue figures of Four Companies – for the past 12 months. You can Download the Excel Workbook to create your panel chart from scratch. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to stay up to date for more free videos like this one. Get more information on the FULL online Chart Course HERE. Watch this video to learn how to best visualize many variables in one Excel graph: Instead create a panel chart: ONE chart that looks like mini charts placed beside each other. When you have too much to tell, don’t tell it all in one overcrowded chart.

Panel chart excel 2013