This makeover shows how comparisons are easier to understand when placed side-by-side instead of above/below

1. FinancialViz Makeover:
Putting comparisons
side-by-side

2. Original
Source: ROB Magazine May 2018 issue

3. Discussion of original visual
• The use of waffle charts/isotype visuals to compare the number of companies is a
good alternative to a standard bar graph.
• The use of proportional shapes to compare the profits is a good choice since the
numbers are different by an order of magnitude or larger.
• It is harder to compare similar values when they are positioned above & below
each other. It is easier for most people to compare when they are side-by-side.

4. Makeover

5. Discussion of makeover visual
• The original visual is an image from the publication. I rearranged the elements of
the image to compare each measure side by side instead of above and below.
• I aligned the waffle visuals at the top because I find it is easier for most viewers to
measure from the top down.
• I aligned the circles at their middles vertically because I find it easier to compare
size of circles this way. If they were squares, I would have aligned them at the top.
• To create waffle visuals in PowerPoint, set up a table with cells of equal height and
width. Set thick borders of the background color to separate the squares and use
cell shading to fill the squares with color as needed.
• To create proportional shapes use the calculator you can download here since this
type of visual is not built into Excel or PowerPoint.
• To align objects on a slide, use the Align tools (tutorial here).

6. Lessons
1. Comparing values is usually easier side-by-side
2. Be open to different visuals such as waffle/ISOTYPE visuals and
proportional shapes