When you think of Excel, you probably think of spreadsheets with rows and rows of data. Maybe you imagine a few fields for inputs and outputs. If you’re feeling fancy, you might even have a couple charts in there.
Something like this:
It’s functional. It shows your metrics. But it’s nothing particularly exciting.
What a lot of Excel users don’t realize is that with a bit of finagling and a basic understanding of Excel’s built-in design features, you can have something that looks a lot more like a custom dashboard:
This one is built using Excel’s standard features (no fancy add-ins or scripting). It uses the exact same set of data used in the “before” pic. But it has a very different impact on the user.
Now this isn’t a class in building dashboards in Excel but I still want to illustrate how many visual design features are available and remain unused by 98% of Excel users.
Obviously not everyone has a design background but almost everyone can improve the visual design of their Excel sheets simply by getting familiarized with the tool’s design features — the short version is that almost anything you do in Powerpoint can be done in Excel. You can insert shapes and images, use gradients and transparent layers, customize charts and so much more.
In the wild world of spreadsheets, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking functionality is the only thing that matters. But humans are irrational creatures and will judge a book by its cover. Spending a few extra hours to polish up the design of your spreadsheet can be a big factor in your project’s success.
If you’re making a living using Excel then this becomes even more important. One of the easiest ways to differentiate your work is to add an element of visual design. 90% of your competition is probably using the same basic style and layout with zero visual impact. With just a bit of time dedicated to visual design you can instantly stand out from the crowd and give your work a feeling of credibility and customization. On many projects that means changing your scope by <5% and will likely have a disproportionately big impact on your business.
This is one of those low barrier opportunities that gets overlooked far too often. Take the time to learn about these design features in Excel or have a designer on your team get familiar with them. Add an extra hour or two when you’re estimating scope for your next project. Then deliver something that looks great. If you notice that folks get more excited about the spreadsheets you build then do it again. My guess is that you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Do you need an overhaul of your spreadsheets but don’t have time to do it yourself? Then feel free to ping me. I can take what you’ve got and polish your design or even help you develop an entirely new strategy for visualizing your data.
Email: Cottrell [@ ] hey.com