Free Data Visualisation Tools
As a lack of data literacy amongst employees continues to hinder progress in the workplace, data skills are creeping up in the rankings of desirable employee attributes. This is not to say that every graduate entering full-time employment needs to be a data wizard, but gaining the basic skills necessary to interpret information represented on a chart, or indeed to produce a chart is a great place to start.
Listed below are 3 free tools that you can use to practice and upskill in the areas of data visualisation and visual analytics.
Datawrapper has been branded the go-to data visualisation tool for “non-techie” users. It is extremely easy to use and requires minimal input from the user. After uploading their dataset as a CSV or Excel file, the user simply checks that their data has been correctly interpreted before selecting one of 19 fixed visualisation formats.
Datawrapper provides a great way to produce pleasing graphs quickly and free of charge.
Google Data Studio is a free alternative to Google Data Studio 360, which is a part of the paid Google Analytics 360 Suite. Users can upload their own datasets, as a CSV file, or access data from one of Data Studio’s integrated products such as Google Analytics.
While the free option may not provide as many features as its paid counterpart, but it does offer an intuitive design and is beginner-friendly, making it a great visualisation platform for inexperienced users.
Tableau has been described by Forbes as the grand master of data visualisation software, and for good reason. Tableau offers a diverse suite including a free-to-use option, Tableau Public. This interactive visual analytics software is essentially a free version of what is referred to as the “gold standard” in visual analytics, Tableau Desktop.
The sole drawback of Tableau Public is that users are unable to save workbooks locally, meaning that the user’s work is available for viewing by the public. Additionally, new users may have to make use of a few YouTube tutorials before they are fully comfortable with the software. However, if you can overlook these snags, Tableau Public is a great tool and shares all the features of Tableau Desktop, allowing users to create interactive graphs, charts and dashboards in minutes.
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