Data charts are visual tools for presenting complex information and insights in a simple way. However, they can also be boring. At times, a single chart may have too much information to pay attention to. However, with an animated chart, that information can be much more easily distinguished and digest. There are also certain specific insights in a chart that animations can make easier to understand and follow.
One of the best tools for animating graphs and charts is the chart gif maker by Google, called the Data Gif Maker. It can turn your data sets into fully animated Gifs. It lets you create any chart you want and manipulate any data set.
How to Create an Animated Chart with Data Gif Maker
- First, open up the Data Gif Maker website and fill in the provided table. This will indicate the names, values, and data sample that you’ll be using.
- After you’ve put the data in place, choose a color that will represent every single variable and its particular information. You can choose between four basic colors (red, blue, yellow, green).
- After you’ve filled the table with the necessary data, you should click on the ‘launch comparisons’ button. This will give you a preview of the resulting gif. If you don’t like it, you can switch around the colors of the values and make it more appealing.
Remember to name your GIF as well, since keeping generic names of the GIFs can confuse you in your folders.
If you like the gif, you can click on the ‘Download as Gif’ button so that you can save it on your device.
You can play around with different values and visualization types in the shapes of circles, rectangles, etc. You can also specify the value type and the chart type, such as pie charts, line graphs, bar charts, etc.
If you want to experiment a little with your gif data maker chart, you can try to input values from Google trends as well.
Rectangles
Rectangles are great for showing comparisons between two or three different values of comparative size. This is perhaps the most basic template for the data gif maker.
Racetrack
The racetrack layout allows you to measure the growth of different values and variables comparatively. For example, you can show how fast various different variables are traveling. You can also show how fast the sales of one product grew rather than the others. This is great for even showing small or minute differences in growth rate or speed. Since the racetrack layout shows values as distinctly greater or smaller comparatively, it’s a great layout to use.
Circles
Circles in Google’s chart gif maker grow bigger as the number grows bigger. They can also be colored differently, depending on each value. The template works best if the contrast between numbers is high. That way, the difference in the size of the circles will be much more visible. If the values are too similar, this template won’t work well.
After you’ve downloaded the gif, you can insert it into your presentations or simply use it on a webpage. You can make sure that your presentation has a flair to it that others don’t.
Colors
Colors are another easy way to differentiate between separate values and variables. Different colors can emphasize the size or importance of each variable.
Fonts
You can also customize your presentation or animated chart with animated fonts. Lucky for you, the bigger your value or variable, the bigger the font. Hence, you can emphasize the size of the value with the font as well.
Benefits of Using a Chart Gif Maker
The research on applying animation to data visualization is very promising. A study carried out in Japan showed that data visualizations outperformed static graphs and tables in terms of gaining attention. Static graphs couldn’t hold viewers’ attention nearly as much as animated graphs could.
In the study, the animation was paired favorably with citations and stats. Hence, markers and notations used with animations were even better. Other than that, the moving animations were usually enjoyed by viewers. They’re considered helpful because they show the progression of data and make the presentation easier to follow.
Looping Animations Show Progression
Animations, which continuously loop like many animated data visualizations, draw on the additional advantage of repeated exposure. The exposure effects are very robust and a psychological phenomenon. The exposure is very consistently and very strongly linked to liking images and preferences. They’re also linked to pleasantness because of the constant movement.
Animated Charts are Great for Storytelling
Animated charts are also great for storytelling. If you want to show how different data tells the story of rising sales or declining profits, you can. The progression helps people make sense of what they’re watching. It also helps them make sense of the connection between seemingly disparate variables.
This is a key element in research. Forming connections between disparate variables sometimes takes a leap of imagination. Changing and animated charts can do that much more effectively than static charts and progressing slides.
Using this data gif maker, you’ll be able to show off your data in a much more fun way. It’s also ideal for when you have to emphasize different values to your superiors and suggest a solution. All in all, it’s an excellent way to emphasize the importance of your presentation and gain your superiors’ attention.
