Donut charts are everywhere, and they're a popular choice for businesses to represent categorical data proportions. However, manually creating them can be time-consuming, error-prone, and inconsistent. But you don’t need to worry! In this blog, we'll explore what donut charts are, their benefits, and where they're used.
In addition, we'll also highlight the major problems that come with manually creating them and the perfect solution: automation with a very special tool! So, whether you're a data analyst, a marketer, or a business owner, this guide will help you automate your chart creation processes and save valuable time.
But first, let’s dive straight in and answer the first question that comes to mind!
What is a Donut Chart?
What does a donut chart have in common with an actual donut? They look alike and are very easy to digest--information in the case of the former. It’s also essentially the same as a pie chart. But the only difference is a donut chart has the center cut out. So, it resembles a donut. This may seem trivial. But a donut with the center hole missing serves a much greater purpose than simply creating aesthetic variety. Instead, it helps viewers avoid confusion when examining the overall data.
Pie charts often confuse viewers as they examine the area of the slices and associate their area with with the whole pie rather than their values. This can lead to poor deductions as people mistake the the visual cues and key information. Fortunately, that’s where donut charts come in! They remove the center, which draws everyone’s attention to the length of the arcs instead.
A donut chart also has another key visual benefit thanks to the empty space at its core. It allows users to add more information. For example, the center can represent labels, data, and information that makes the chart easier to read.
Where Are Donut Charts Used?
Donut charts have very similar use cases to pie charts. So, it’s safe to say they can represent the same data. These charts typically show the categorical data proportions and communicate the value of each category using size.
Business Use Cases for a Donut Chart
There are many business use cases for donut charts. But the most common is often to use them to replace existing pie charts. Since the two are very similar, they can easily represent the same things. However, a donut chart is far more informative than a pie chart. So, it’s more beneficial to make the switch.
Let’s start with a quick example to help you understand how and where these charts are used. Let’s say a business has many kinds of devices that they sold this year. For instance, they may have sold 1000 laptops, 2000 cell phones, 500 TVs, and 1500 tablets. These can be summarised as the total number of device sales. So, that would be 5000 devices.
A donut chart can help this business understand the proportion of these sales. Thus, allowing them to gauge which is the most or least profitable. The largest wedge will indicate this on the chart. Of course, these are not the only uses of a donut chart. But it should help you deduce where you may find them.
Another use case example of donut charts is saving on space. Since it has more room for information as compared to its counterpart, it becomes ideal for dashboards and business reports. These are typically spaces where viewers need to quickly and accurately visualize data.
For example, a company can represent the data from two pie charts in a single donut chart. Thus, allowing everyone to read and understand the information more quickly. Let’s say we use the same example from above. But we add more information from the previous year. You can place the previous year’s sales inside the empty space of the donut chart. Then, you’ll only need to add a corresponding table.
How to Represent Data on a Donut Chart?
Making a donut chart is simple. It works on two dimensions and needs two data sets with a common relationship. The first represents an attribute, and the second represents the value. For example, on an electronic sales chart, one dimension can be the number of cell phones sold while the other, such as the number 600, is its value.
However, a donut chart needs to total its raw data as 100 percent. This is because the chart, like a pie chart, represents data as parts of a whole.
The Top 5 Tools Everyone Uses to Make Donut Charts
Donut charts are like the cooler cousin of pie charts - they're just as tasty but with a little extra pizzazz. If you're looking to create a donut chart, here are five commonly used tools to get the job done:
- Microsoft Excel: If you're already using Excel to make pie charts, you'll be glad to know that it can also easily create donut charts. Just select the "Donut" chart type and customize it to your liking.
- Google Sheets: Google Sheets easily creates donut charts with its simple chart builder. You can customize your chart's colors, labels, and other elements to match your branding and make it stand out.
- Canva: Canva is a graphic design tool offering various data visualization options, including donut charts. With Canva's drag-and-drop interface and extensive design elements library, you can quickly create beautiful and professional-looking charts.
- Python Matplotlib: Matplotlib is a powerful data visualization library in Python that offers a variety of chart types, including donut charts. It's highly customizable and offers many options for fine-tuning your chart's appearance and functionality.
- Piktochart: Piktochart is another graphic design tool that offers a variety of data visualization options, including donut charts. With its easy-to-use interface and extensive library of design elements, you can create stunning infographics and reports that will impress you.
The Major Problems You Can Face While Manually Creating a Donut Chart
As mentioned above, businesses, corporate workers, finance experts, and enterprises often create donut charts manually. However, this can lead to serious problems over time. Here are some specific issues and drawbacks to be aware of:
Time-consuming: Creating donut charts manually is a time-consuming task, especially when dealing with larger data sets. This can be a significant drain on productivity and resources for businesses that need to create charts on a regular basis. For example, an accounting firm may spend hours creating manual donut charts to represent financial data, rather than focusing on analyzing that data to make strategic decisions.
Prone to errors: Humans are prone to making mistakes, especially when handling manual tasks. This can lead to errors in the data represented by the chart, which in turn can have serious consequences for businesses. For example, a finance team may accidentally input the wrong numbers into a manual donut chart, leading to inaccurate financial projections.
Inconsistent presentation: When creating donut charts manually, there is a risk of presentation inconsistencies. This can happen when different employees design charts differently, leading to confusion and distractions. For example, one employee may use different colors or fonts than another, which can make it difficult for others to interpret the data.
Difficult to update: Donut charts that are manually created are often converted to PDFs or images, which makes them difficult to update or change. This can become a major hassle for businesses that need to regularly update their charts or create new ones. For example, a marketing team may need to constantly update their donut charts to reflect changes in customer demographics or sales data.
Automating Donut Charts: Should You Consider It?
As a business owner or professional working with data, creating donut charts manually comes with risks. For instance, manual creation can be time-consuming, and human errors may impact the accuracy of the data presented. Fortunately, tools like Image Charts can automate the process, providing several benefits to users. But should you try automation? Well, let’s look at some potential benefits:
Improved Productivity and Efficiency
One key advantage of automating donut charts is improved productivity. By freeing up time previously spent on creating charts manually, you and your team can focus on more critical tasks that may require your expertise and attention. For example, you can use that extra time to analyze data and make informed decisions. Thus, improving your overall efficiency.
Reduced Labor Costs
In addition to saving time, automating donut charts can also reduce labor costs. For example, you may not need as many employees dedicated to creating and formatting charts with automation. So, you can redistribute their time and resources elsewhere. Automation also leads to fewer work hours, which means fewer business expenses too. This provides an ideal solution for organizations seeking to optimize their budget.
Improved Accuracy
Lastly, automation reduces the risks of human error and improves accuracy. For example, imagine that a financial analyst made a mistake while creating a donut chart that misrepresents revenue figures. The incorrect interpretation could lead to bad decision-making, ultimately resulting in significant losses for the business. However, automated tools like Image Charts ensure the data presented in your donut charts is consistent and error-free.
How Can You Automate Donut Chart Generation?
We’ve established why automation benefits donut chart users. But how can you automate them for their projects or business meetings? The answer is simple! Use a tool called Image Charts! It makes the process of automating charts easier for marketers, business owners, and developers. Here’s how you can use it:.
Image Charts – the Complete Donut Chart Maker!
Image Charts is a tool that lets anyone easily create and automate their donut charts. But you need to know a few important things before jumping in. First, Image Charts allows users to make donut charts in two ways. Here’s how:
- By using the online chart editor (Available for free on their website.)
- Through automation with Image Charts integration
We’ll discuss how you can use both in the sections below.
The Perfect Recipe for Instant Donuts – Online Donut Chart Editor
The first option is for users who want to jump straight in with donut charts. It’s the online chart editor! This tool is accessible here on the Image Charts website, and it has a few notable features, like converting charts into images for quick sharing.
You can start by accessing the editing page and clicking the “Gallery” tab. Here you will find many options to choose from. First, however, you will need to select donut charts. Then, click on the “Form Parameters” tab and enter the information you need to display. You can customize everything you need here, including the font color and background images.
In addition, you can easily input your company’s data by editing the various data parameters through the enterprise tab. However, you will need to create your own Image Charts account to do so. This is useful if you need to draw from larger data sets.
Once your chart is ready to go, it’s time for the icing! So, click on the donut chart itself, and you’ll be greeted with an image that you can download and share.
Automated Donuts Charts with Zapier and Make Integration
Make, and Zapier are the two automation options businesses can set up. To start, access whichever website you prefer and select where you wish to draw your data from. For instance, you can set a “Trigger” with Zapier or add a “Module” with Make. These steps will connect with external apps like Gmail, Google Analytics, and Trello and enable you to input them into image charts.
Next, you’ll need to automate the process with an action step that creates the donut chart. So, select the Image Charts integration. From there it’s as easy as customizing the various fields, colors, fonts, and parameters.
However, you’re not done! After all, you still need to share the chart. So, use another action step and choose a destination platform where you can send your finalized chart. For example, you can choose to email it. Then, simply authenticate the external platform and attach all your data. After that, finalize the Make Scenario or Zap and you’re done!
Donut Confuse the Process
Don’t worry if the above steps seem confusing because Image Charts provides free documentation for users that need help. It explains how to make, customize, edit, code, and automate your charts. So, you won’t have any no trouble automating your work. Head here to learn more.
Conclusion
In conclusion, donut charts offer a simple yet effective solution to visually convey data proportions. This is because they provide more benefits than their pie chart counterparts. So, users will find them particularly useful in business for adding more information, simplifying visuals, and improving the overall effectiveness of their work. However, it’s important for users to be aware of the pitfalls of manually creating donut charts. So, try using alternative methods like automation. We’ve provided you with the best tool for the job, Image Charts. Use their online support to build your chart for free!!
Read more about donut charts in our documentation here.
