The pie chart is a circle-shaped graph that is constructed to represent your data visually. This circle is divided into sections representing different proportions of the whole data. It is easy to understand and shows all data sets properly.
It is a great option to display your data by using online software. Through this article, you can easily understand why you should create a pie chart through Google Sheets and also come to know the method of making it in Google Sheets.
What is a Pie Chart?
A pie chart is a visual representation of all your data. You can create a pie chart in a spreadsheet that will help compare different elements in one series. Every slice of pie adds up to equal 100 and breaks down every slice into percentages. It saves you time by creating percentages and adding up all the slices to a hundred.
Pie charts are useful when your whole data belongs to a large group and you want to show the relative sizes through the multiple categories within the same dataset.
Importance of Creating a Pie Chart
Here are some key reasons why people prefer using pie charts to arrange or compare their data:
A pie chart offers you an easy-to-understand and simple picture.
You can have a visual representation of the data section as a functional part of the complete data set. As a result, it can be an effective solution for everyone including uninformed audiences.
A Pie Chart helps your audience to get a quick comparison of the data or categories. It will ultimately help them to create a quick analysis. Additionally, you can easily understand the information available in different categories.
Using a pie chart, it will be easier to remove the need for readers to measure or examine the key numbers themselves.
You can add the key pieces of data in your pie chart if you are planning to emphasize some points from your data.
How To Create a Pie Chart in Google Sheets?
There are many steps to make a pie chart in Google Sheets. You can make it effortlessly by learning these steps.
Open Google Sheets to Make a New Spread Sheet
The first step of making a pie chart is to sign in to your account through a valid Google account and open the Sheets app. Now you will click the Create button on the left side of your screen and click on the Spreadsheet option. Then program will generate a blank spreadsheet for you.
Input Your Data in Sheet
Now it is time to put your organized data in the sheet. Your data should be labeled clearly for each category with equivalent values. You can make two columns A and B to enter your data information conveniently.
Column A is for placing data according to your desire through all of the pieces of the pie. Column B is for the presentation of numerical data values. These columns now communicate the Google Sheets to place the information into the pie chart.
Highlight Your Data Cells
The second step is the selection of the data that you want to put in the pie chart. After inserting all data in the pie chart now it will turn to highlight the data cells that are required in your pie chart.
Click on the "Insert" tab at the top of the screen in the toolbar. This will drop the selection menu down and now click on the "Chart" option. After this process, the application will allow a pop-up window for your chart selection.
Usage of Chart Editor
In the opened window in the “Set Up” tab under the “Chart Type" make sure the option of Pie Chart. Meanwhile, if you don't get it then you should select the drop-down menu arrow to open the chart options.
Once you click the chart option, Google Sheets instantly makes an ideal data format for you visually. In this way, you can get your valuable pie chart. Chart Editor provides you with many options to customize your pie chart. You can use these options to make your chart more appealing and clear appearance.
Selection of Data Ranges for Your Pie Chart
You can find the Data range options below the drop-down menu for Chart Type. This is the place to insert your desired data in a pie chart by selecting the cell ranges. It will be helpful for you to show your data values if you have columns and rows and you don't want to show them in your pie chart. Just click inside the box to select the ranges with the letters of columns and numbers linked with the rows.
When you finalize your ranges just click on the Okay button, and the program adds all ranges to your chart and closes the window.
Close the Pop-Up Window
You can close the window by choosing the “X” on the right side of the window. This will show you the original spreadsheet on screen with your desired Pie Chart on it. You can easily shrink and enlarge the chart shape on your page.
You will find three dots in the right corner of the chart. They show other options of downloading it as an image, deleting, and editing of pie chart as well.
Tips for Customizing and Formatting a Pie Chart
Here we will discuss some important tips to customize your desired pie chart with the help of Chart Editor.
Upgrade your Pie Chart Style
You can modify the background, border of the image, and color without changing the color of the pie slices. You also have the option to make a change in layout if you notice any mistakes. It also gives you the option of changing font size as well.
Make Changes in the Pie Chart
This option allows you to make changes in percentage sizes and modify the border color of your chart. You can also add labels with desired font sizes, colors, font styles, and formats.
Customization of Pie Slices
You can easily customize the pie slices of your pie chart. For this purpose, you will choose the drop-down box and select your desired slice to modify. You have the option to set the distance percentage from the center of the whole pie for your pie slices.
Make Axis Titles and Charts
You can make a choice of titles and charts for your pie chart. Type the name of the title into the Title Text and then you have a choice to change font style, color, size, and format. You can change each title you want on your chart by clicking the drop-down menu and selecting the Chart Subtitle or Title.
Check Your Formatting
The program will not add a value in negative or equal to zero in your chart. You can easily manage and format it through the usage of Google Sheets.
Avoid Using Too Many Categories
You should avoid dividing the pie chart into too many categories or data values. It is difficult to read and understand a chart if it has a lot of slices. However, there is no specific rule about the number of categories in a chart. Most of the experts agreed on keeping them to five.
Keep Your Pie Chart Simple
Some people plan to add different effects on their pie charts to make them look more impactful and good. However, applying multiple effects often leads to the opposite impact.
Adding multiple elements visually such as adding depth, creating 3D effects, squashing or stretching pie, or exploding different pie pieces for emphasis can interrupt visualization. Don’t forget the fact that visualization is an important element in any pie chart.
However, interrupted visualization due to multiple effects can make it hard to understand the part-to-whole proportion or value.
Consider the Order
There are no strict rules for arranging your categories in the pie chart. However, the categories' order certainly impacts the perception and comprehension of users. Cardinal orientation is a good order for pie slices. If your categories don’t include inherent ordering, you can simply arrange your pie slices in the order of size. It means the pie chart slices can go from the largest segments to the smallest.
Are There any Limitations to Creating Pie Charts using Google Sheets?
Even though the process of creating pie charts in Google Sheets seems easier, it lacks flexibility. Here is how using Google Sheets can limit your pie chart creation process:
Arguably, creating a pie chart using a PC or laptop is easy in Google Sheets. However, if you want to create a pie chart in Sheets using your mobile phone, things can get challenging. This is because the Google Sheets UI is optimized for desktop systems.
Creating a pie chart in Google Sheets with a huge amount of data is time-consuming. For this situation, it is not an ideal case to use Google Sheets for creating Pie Charts.
Additionally, Google Sheets also have limited aesthetics. You can create raw pie charts in Google Sheets which are not ideal for client calls or professional presentations.
Final Thoughts
Creating pie charts in Google Sheets can significantly enhance your ability to communicate data-driven insights. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can create compelling pie charts that effectively convey the distribution of categorical data. It will help you to present information in a clear and visually appealing manner.
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