The best way to learn how to present data effectively is to see data presentation examples from the professionals in the field.
We collected superb examples of graphical presentation and visualization of data in statistics, research, sales, marketing, business management, and other areas.
Reporting data and information is a critical step in data analysis and interpretation. Nowadays you have a variety of tools and methods to build stunning reports or charts – from Excel to modern data visualization software.
Be it numerical or textual qualitative big data, your presentation must be clear, easy to understand as well as beautiful, evidential, and persuasive.
On this page:
- How to present data effectively? Clever tips.
- 10 Real-life examples of data presentation with interpretation.
How to present data effectively? Clever tips.
Download the above infographic in PDF
Your audience should be able to walk through the graphs and visualizations easily while enjoy and respond to the story.
[bctt tweet=”Your reports and graphical presentations should not just deliver statistics, numbers, and data. Instead, they must tell a story, illustrate a situation, provide proofs, win arguments, and even change minds.” username=””]
Before going to data presentation examples let’s see some essential tips to help you build powerful data presentations.
1. Keep it simple and clear
The presentation should be focused on your key message and you need to illustrate it very briefly.
Graphs and charts should communicate your core message, not distract from it. A complicated and overloaded chart can distract and confuse. Eliminate anything repetitive or decorative.
2. Pick up the right visuals for the job
A vast number of types of graphs and charts are available at your disposal – pie charts, line and bar graphs, scatter plot, Venn diagram, etc.
Choosing the right type of chart can be a tricky business. Practically, the choice depends on 2 major things: on the kind of analysis you want to present and on the data types you have.
Commonly, when we aim to facilitate a comparison, we use a bar chart or radar chart. When we want to show trends over time, we use a line chart or an area chart and etc.
3. Break the complex concepts into multiple graphics
It’s can be very hard for a public to understand a complicated graphical visualization. Don’t present it as a huge amount of visual data.
Instead, break the graphics into pieces and illustrate how each piece corresponds to the previous one.
4. Carefully choose the colors
Colors provoke different emotions and associations that affect the way your brand or story is perceived. Sometimes color choices can make or break your visuals.
It is no need to be a designer to make the right color selections. Some golden rules are to stick to 3 or 4 colors avoiding full-on rainbow look and to borrow ideas from relevant chart designs.
Another tip is to consider the brand attributes and your audience profile. You will see appropriate color use in the below data presentation examples.
5. Don’t leave a lot of room for words
The key point in graphical data presentation is to tell the story using visuals and images, not words. Give your audience visual facts, not text.
However, that doesn’t mean words have no importance.
A great advice here is to think that every letter is critical, and there’s no room for wasted and empty words. Also, don’t create generic titles and headlines, build them around the core message.
6. Use good templates and software tools
Building data presentation nowadays means using some kind of software programs and templates. There are many available options – from free graphing software solutions to advanced data visualization tools.
Choosing a good software gives you the power to create good and high-quality visualizations. Make sure you are using templates that provides characteristics like colors, fonts, and chart styles.
A small investment of time to research the software options prevents a large loss of productivity and efficiency at the end.
10 Superb data presentation examples
Here we collected some of the best examples of data presentation made by one of the biggest names in the graphical data visualization software and information research.
These brands put a lot of money and efforts to investigate how professional graphs and charts should look.
1. Sales Stage History Funnel Chart
Data is beautiful and this sales stage funnel chart by Zoho Reports prove this. The above funnel chart represents the different stages in a sales process (Qualification, Need Analysis, Initial Offer, etc.) and shows the potential revenue for each stage for the last and this quarter.
The potential revenue for each sales stage is displayed by a different color and sized according to the amount. The chart is very colorful, eye-catching, and intriguing.
2. Facebook Ads Data Presentation Examples
These are other data presentation examples from Zoho Reports. The first one is a stacked bar chart that displays the impressions breakdown by months and types of Facebook campaigns.
Impressions are one of the vital KPI examples in digital marketing intelligence and business. The first graph is designed to help you compare and notice sharp differences at the Facebook campaigns that have the most influence on impression movements.
The second one is an area chart that shows the changes in the costs for the same Facebook campaigns over the months.
The 2 examples illustrate how multiple and complicated data can be presented clearly and simply in a visually appealing way.
3. Sales Opportunity Data Presentation
These two bar charts (stacked and horizontal bar charts) by Microsoft Power Bi are created to track sales opportunities and revenue by region and sales stage.
The stacked bar graph shows the revenue probability in percentage determined by the current sales stage (Lead, Quality, Solution…) over the months. The horizontal bar chart represents the size of the sales opportunity (Small, Medium, Large) according to regions (East, Central, West).
Both graphs are impressive ways for a sales manager to introduce the upcoming opportunity to C-level managers and stakeholders. The color combination is rich but easy to digest.
4. Power 100 Data Visualization
Want to show hierarchical data? Treemaps can be perfect for the job. This is a stunning treemap example by Infogram.com that shows you who are the most influential industries. As you see the Government is on the top.
This treemap is a very compact and space-efficient visualization option for presenting hierarchies, that gives you a quick overview of the structure of the most powerful industries.
So beautiful way to compare the proportions between things via their area size.
5. Research Data Presentation Examples
When it comes to best research data presentation examples in statistics, Nielsen information company is an undoubted leader. The above professional looking line graph by Nielsen represent the slowing alcoholic grow of 4 alcohol categories (Beer, Wine, Spirits, CPG) for the period of 12 months.
The chart is an ideal example of a data visualization that incorporates all the necessary elements of an effective and engaging graph. It uses color to let you easily differentiate trends and allows you to get a global sense of the data. Additionally, it is incredibly simple to understand.
6. Digital Health Research Data Visualization Example
Digital health is a very hot topic nowadays and this stunning donut chart by IQVIA shows the proportion of different mobile health apps by therapy area (Mental Health, Diabetes, Kidney Disease, and etc.). 100% = 1749 unique apps.
This is a wonderful example of research data presentation that provides evidence of Digital Health’s accelerating innovation and app expansion.
Besides good-looking, this donut chart is very space-efficient because the blank space inside it is used to display information too.
7. Disease Research Data Visualization Examples
Presenting relationships among different variables is hard to understand and confusing -especially when there is a huge number of them. But using the appropriate visuals and colors, the IQVIA did a great job simplifying this data into a clear and digestible format.
The above stacked bar charts by IQVIA represents the distribution of oncology medicine spendings by years and product segments (Protected Brand Price, Protected Brand Volume, New Brands, etc.).
The chart allows you to clearly see the changes in spendings and where they occurred – a great example of telling a deeper story in a simple way.
8. Textual and Qualitative Data Presentation Example
This is a fun and colorful healthy food pyramid graph that shows fats, oils, and sugar (at the top) should be eaten less than many other foods such as vegetables and fruits (at the bottom of the pyramid). It’s immediately clear what to eat to maintain a good health.
When it comes to easy to understand and good looking textual and qualitative data visualization, pyramid graph has a top place. To know what is qualitative data see our post quantitative vs qualitative data.
9. Product Metrics Graph Example
If you are searching for excel data presentation examples, this stylish template from Smartsheet can give you good ideas for professional looking design.
The above stacked bar chart represents product revenue breakdown by months and product items. It reveals patterns and trends over the first half of the year that can be a good basis for data-driven decision-making.
10. Supply Chain Data Visualization Example
This bar chart created by ClicData is an excellent example of how trends over time can be effectively and professionally communicated through the use of well-presented visualization.
It shows the dynamics of pricing through the months based on units sold, units shipped, and current inventory. This type of graph pack a whole lot of information into a simple visual. In addition, the chart is connected to real data and is fully interactive.
Conclusion
The above data presentation examples aim to help you learn how to present data effectively and professionally.
You surely have got the idea that graphical visualizations must be interesting, clear, easy-to-digest, and appealing even if the information is highly technical and data-heavy.
Presenting data this way is not easy. But it is absolutely possible. What it takes is passion. Don’t think that you have a whole bunch of numbers and charts to show. Instead, present the information with passion, understanding, and dedication.
