1. How to visualize data
Dive into our visual storytelling journey with the Spotify data set, focusing on crafting compelling charts in Excel. Ensure the dataviz starter file is ready from the workbooks and demo subfolder as we explore summarizing trends, categorical data, and parts of a whole through Excel's robust charting features.
Firstly, we aim to unveil the yearly trends of top songs. In the release year tab, you'll find year and track count columns, which are perfect for a line chart to illustrate trends over time. Click anywhere within your data range. Head to the insert tab, look for the line chart icon and explore the drop-down menu to select a 2D line chart, which is the standard choice for depicting time series data.
If Excel misinterprets the release year as a series rather than the axis, don't worry. Go to the chart design tab, click select data, and adjust. Remove the release year from the series. Then, set it as the horizontal category axis labels by selecting your year data, excluding headers. Reflect on the significant rise in top songs from 2020 to 2022.
Could this surge correlate with increased at-home streaming during the pandemic? It's a hypothesis worth exploring further. Next, we shift focus to the Top Artists tab, where the data sets the stage for a column chart, which is ideal for comparing categories side by side. Navigate to Insert, choose the bar chart icon, and select a simple 2D column chart.
To bring clarity to our comparison, add data labels by right-clicking a bar and selecting Add Data Labels. This visual enhancement directly displays the number of top songs by each artist, revealing insights like Taylor Swift's prominence on Spotify. Lastly, we'll examine how tracks are distributed based on the number of artists involved, using a pie chart to represent parts of a whole.
Find the Artist Count tab and consider using Recommended Charts for intuitive chart suggestions from Excel. Choose the pie chart from the options. This visual will segment tracks by artist collaboration, illustrating the dominance of single-artist tracks in Spotify's top charts. Armed with these charting techniques, you're now equipped to transform raw data into meaningful stories.
Experiment with creating charts that not only convey information but also engage and inform your audience. Explore, create, and discover the narratives hidden within your datasets. Happy charting
2. Let's practice!