In today‘s data-driven world, understanding and communicating insights from data is more important than ever. However, making sense of rows and columns of raw data can be a daunting task, especially for those without a background in data analysis or programming.
This is where data visualization comes in. By representing data in a visual format such as charts, graphs, and maps, data visualization tools make it easy to identify trends, patterns, and outliers at a glance. Interactive visualizations allow users to drill down into the data for deeper insights.
The good news is, you don‘t need to be a developer to create impactful data visualizations. There are many user-friendly tools available that enable anyone to turn their data into professional-looking graphics without writing a single line of code.
In this article, we‘ll take a look at 9 of the best data visualization tools for non-developers:
1. Datawrapper
Datawrapper is a popular web-based charting tool used by many news and media organizations including The New York Times, Vox, and The Guardian. With Datawrapper, you can quickly create interactive line charts, bar charts, pie charts, tables, and maps just by uploading a CSV file or copying and pasting your data.
The charts are highly customizable, allowing you to change colors, add annotations, and include your logo. One of the best features of Datawrapper is the ability to embed the interactive charts directly into your website or article. Readers can then hover over data points to see more details without leaving the page.
Datawrapper offers a free plan for creating basic charts as well as paid plans with additional features like custom templates and password protection. If you‘re looking for an easy way to create embeddable charts to enhance your content, Datawrapper is an excellent choice.
2. Tableau Public
Tableau is one of the most well-known data visualization tools on the market and for good reason. While the full Tableau platform is geared towards enterprises, they also offer a free version called Tableau Public.
With a wide variety of charts, graphs, maps and dashboards to choose from, Tableau Public makes it possible to create advanced data visualizations that look extremely professional. The drag-and-drop interface is intuitive and lets you analyze data from multiple sources including Excel, JSON, and cloud applications.
Visualizations made with Tableau Public can be published and embedded on your website, though they will include a Tableau watermark. For more advanced features and to remove the branding, you‘ll need one of the paid versions of Tableau. But for creating high-quality interactive visualizations, Tableau Public is hard to beat.
3. Chart.js
On the other end of the spectrum from enterprise tools like Tableau is Chart.js. This open-source JavaScript library is lightweight and easy to use, making it a good fit for small websites and web apps.
Chart.js uses HTML5 canvas to render charts, so they look sharp on high DPI screens. The charts are also responsive, adapting to different screen sizes for mobile-friendliness. There are 8 basic chart types to choose from including line, bar, radar, and bubble charts.
While it may not have as many features as other tools on this list, Chart.js is a solid choice when you need to create elegant charts without a lot of overhead. The simplicity of the declarative code also makes it a favorite of developers.
4. Raw
Another great open-source option is Raw, a vector-based visualization framework built on top of the popular D3.js library. What sets Raw apart is its unique approach to the data visualization workflow.
With Raw, you provide the data and then choose from a library of customizable chart types. The tool instantly generates a visualization, which you can refine by adjusting the settings and CSS. Since the data processing is done entirely in the browser, you don‘t need to upload your data to an external server.
Raw is highly extensible, allowing you to contribute your own charts to the library. It‘s a great choice for designers and data scientists who want more control over the look and feel of their visualizations without sacrificing ease of use.
5. Infogram
Infogram is a web-based data visualization tool that offers both ready-made templates and the ability to create charts and infographics from scratch. In addition to basic charts, it has a large library of maps, icons, images, and GIFs to make your visualizations more engaging.
One handy feature is the ability to import data directly from Google Sheets, which updates in real-time as you make changes to the spreadsheet. Interactive charts made with Infogram can be embedded on a website either as a static image or an interactive graphic.
The free version includes Infogram branding, while paid plans offer more templates, higher resolution downloads, and the ability to remove the watermark. For creating quick social media visuals, Infogram‘s large template library is very convenient.
6. Timeline JS
For a more niche use case, check out Timeline JS. As the name suggests, this free tool is all about creating elegant interactive timelines. It‘s super easy to use – just fill in a Google spreadsheet template with your dates, text, and links to media.
Timeline JS can automatically pull in photos, videos, tweets, and other content from a wide range of sources. It‘s great for showcasing the history of a product or company, documenting current events, or even creating a personal portfolio.
Since it‘s open-source, you‘re free to host it on your own server. Paid support and customization is also available. Timeline JS is a favorite of newsrooms and can help anyone turn a series of dates into an engaging chronological story.
7. Plotly
Plotly is a powerful web-based data analysis and graphing tool. It lets you make a variety of charts including line graphs, scatter plots, heatmaps, subplots, and 3D charts. There‘s also built-in social sharing so you can easily post interactive graphs to Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
Since the charts are rendered with JavaScript, they load quickly and look sharp on any device. You can import data from Excel or paste it in from your clipboard. For an even easier setup, Plotly has native integrations with business intelligence tools like Salesforce.
While some advanced features require a subscription, the free community version of Plotly is still quite full-featured. Teams can use Plotly to collaborate on data visualizations in real-time. For an enterprise-grade charting solution, Plotly is an attractive option.
8. DataHero
DataHero stands out for its ability to pull in data directly from popular cloud services including Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Analytics, Stripe, and more. This makes it incredibly easy to create charts and dashboards with your business data, no CSV exports required.
The drag-and-drop interface is intuitive for non-technical users. You can quickly segment your data, combine multiple data sources, and calculate new metrics on the fly. The charts are basic but clear and customizable.
Embedding dashboards on an internal company portal or public webpage is simple. And if you ever get stuck, the customer support is very responsive and helpful. For businesses that want to democratize data across teams, DataHero is worth checking out.
9. Visualize Free
Last but not least is Visualize Free, an online tool for creating interactive visualizations with public datasets. What makes this one unique is the ability to combine charts, graphs, and filters into a single embeddable visualization.
To get started, you can either use one of the datasets provided by Visualize Free or upload your own data. The chart builder lets you choose different chart types for each data column, giving you a lot of flexibility in how you display the information.
Visualizations made with the free version can be published and embedded on any website. The paid version lets you keep projects private and offers more simultaneous visualizations. Visualize Free is a hidden gem for anyone looking to create custom embeddable data visualizations.
Conclusion
Data is only useful if you can extract meaningful insights from it. Data visualization tools bridge the gap between raw data and decision-making by allowing anyone to create compelling visual representations of data.
The 9 tools covered in this article are some of the best options for non-developers who want to turn data into actionable insights:
- Datawrapper for embeddable interactive charts
- Tableau Public for advanced dashboards
- Chart.js for simple charts in web projects
- Raw for highly customizable D3.js visualizations
- Infogram for designer templates and infographics
- Timeline JS for sleek interactive timelines
- Plotly for scientific graphing and analysis
- DataHero for connecting directly to cloud data sources
- Visualize Free for embedding public data visualizations
To streamline your data workflow even further, consider pairing these tools with a web scraping service like Octoparse. By automating data collection with web scraping, you can feed the most up-to-date information to your data visualizations.
Becoming data-driven doesn‘t require coding skills or complex infrastructure. With the user-friendly tools available today, anyone can discover valuable insights from data and make better informed decisions. Visual communication is the key to driving impact across your organization with data.