I launched my first online workshop in late 2015. I had this idea that it would be best to start, whether or not I had everything ready in advance. And as we went, I would listen to the needs of participants and respond with lessons and activities. It was messy and a bit disorganized. And […]
How to create a timeline infographic using Canva.
Looking for an infographic that is easy to write and design? This post will you through the process of creating a timeline infographic from scratch using Canva. I’ll also include the final templates at the end of this post. Here is what I will design – “Our Project Timeline” This is just a simple timeline, […]
When Gap Width Doesn’t Work
This video is for all the people commenting “Not Useful” on my video about gap width… I think I found your problem. The “I don’t feel like watching a video right now,” summary. In this video, Chris dives deeper into his previous video on removing gaps between bars in Excel charts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAgjY…), addressing the issue […]
The 5 Minute Skim Test Using Visual Hierarchy to Reach Busy Execs
Struggling to understand reports in 5 minutes? Learn how to design skimmable reports! Struggling to understand reports in 5 minutes? Learn how to design skimmable reports! Tired of dense reports you don’t have time to read? This video teaches you how to use visual hierarchy to create reports that are easy to skim and understand, […]
Ditch the Text Walls, Embrace the White Space!
Tired of your reports looking like dense, unreadable brick walls? Check out this video with quick tips on why and how to start intentionally including white space in your reports. Here is a little summary of what you’ll see in the video. In this video, Chris, of Data Viz Made Easy, delves into the often-overlooked […]
How to create carousels with Canva
A carousel is like a social media slide deck. The format has been around for years, but it’s making a comeback. In today’s post I’ll show you how to create one using Canva. Do you remember slideshare? Basically it was a site that let you put your slidedecks on the web. Like a lot of […]
Design in Canva with Lorem Ipsum
Want some quick report design advice? Don’t wait until you are finished writing your report to design your report. Seriously, I have been in the data field for two decades working on research and evaluation projects. The vast majority of projects have waited until the very last minute to do any design work. The excuse, […]
Should DataViz be Easy?
For Christmas dinner this year I made my family spinach and pasta rotolo. It’s a baked pasta dish that involved making fresh pasta, rolling it flat, filling it with a spinach/ricotta mixture, and rolling it up like a jelly roll. Then it gets cut into small little scroll like pieces and baked upright with a […]
Canva Accessibility is getting better, but still needs fixing
I originally wrote this post in April of 2022. I’ll keep updating as time goes on and Canva adds improvements. This current update is from December 2023. What has changed since 2022. 1. Canva allows you to add alternative text for all your images. Not only that, but it has a handy little “Suggest for […]
More than 60 Holiday Data Comics
Are you looking for data and evaluation cartoons this holiday season? In this post I’ve pulled together all my Christmas and other holiday cartoons/comics I’ve drawn from across the years. With new cartoons added annually! Comics from 2023 Power BI and Elves Of course the elves don’t like PowerBI, but Santa paid a lot for […]
One Pager FAQ
Do you know how to design a good one page report? Do you know how many words fit nicely on a single page? Do you want to know how to find good one pager templates? This post is for you! How many words fit nicely on a single one page report? So this one depends […]
Canva Jumpstart
Interested in learning how to use Canva but don’t know where to start? Start here. My Canva Jumpstart Course is now FREE. I had originally planned to sell this course for more than $200. But since Canva has become such an essential tool in how I approach and teach reporting here on this blog, I’ve […]