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Our brains can easily interpret connections and patterns. Besides, we can easily distinguish between slopes of straight lines.
And it’s for this reason that seasoned data visualization experts use Slope Charts in their data stories. These charts are easy to read and understand. Besides, this makes them ideal if you want to communicate high-level insights quickly to a non-technical audience.
Creating a Slope Chart does not have to be a complex and time-consuming undertaking. In this blog, you’ll learn how to create a Slope Chart in Excel. You’ll also learn how you can use these charts to create compelling data stories.
The sensational strategies and tips we’ve rounded up for you are tested and proven. We use these tips to create data stories for our clients, meetings, and presentations.
We’re confident you’ll gain immense value from the blog.
Definition: A Slope Chart in Excel is a data visualization tool that compares changes between two points in time or categories. It displays values as lines connecting data points, highlighting trends, increases, or decreases for easy comparison.
A Slope Chart in Excel is ideal for visualizing changes between two points in time or categories. It highlights trends, simplifies comparisons, and provides clear insights for decision-making, all in a compact and easy-to-read format.
A slope chart has features identical to those of other graphs, such as a line chart. Let’s take a quick look at these features.
Data is the most significant part of making this chart for your story. Essentially, you need a substantial amount of data before you decide to use this chart for your visualization.
You need a tool that’s easy to use to plot this chart for your data story. There are a plethora of tools for data visualization, such as Excel.
Remember, we naturally read starting from the left. Besides, it makes sense to label the axes (on the left side) to guide your audience towards the meaning and context of your insights.
The legend may be the colors used or is a side section of the chart that gives a short text description of each series. Use a legend to help your audience understand the charted data.
A title is the big idea you want to communicate to your audience. A title that compels the audience to pay attention and take the recommended action should convey what’s at stake.
Displays the trend or change for one data series between two points, making it simple and focused.
Shows multiple lines to compare changes across several data series simultaneously, ideal for analyzing group trends.
Uses color-coded lines to differentiate between data series or highlight specific trends, enhancing clarity.
Incorporates interactive elements, such as filters or slicers, allowing users to explore data trends in real-time.
Visualizes the percentage change instead of raw values, making it easier to compare proportional differences across data series.
Let’s visualize the data below using the Slope Chart in an Excel spreadsheet.
Let’s delve into our Excel without wasting time.
Now we’re starting to get somewhere.
Note: We’ve not even formatted this chart and it’s already starting to tell us some key stories about Product D (yellow line) and Product E (light blue line).
Creating a Slope Chart in Excel is incredibly time-consuming if you give it proper formatting.
So what’s the best tool that comes loaded with pre-existing templates for a slope chart?
Let’s talk about Excel because it’s the tool most of us have known since childhood. This tool has been around for decades, and it has an incredibly friendly user interface, even for non-technical users.
It’s safe to say that Excel is a friend to a massive chunk of people who work with data. Whether you’re creating cool Excel charts and graphs or just organizing information, it’s the go-to tool if you want to visualize data quickly and affordably.
So how can you create a Slope Chart in Excel?
Keep reading because you don’t want to miss the juicy part that’s coming next.
Excel lacks ready-made Slope Chart templates. We’re not advising you to do away with Excel in favor of other expensive tools.
This is because there’s an amazingly affordable visualization tool that comes as an add-in you can easily install in Excel to access insightful and easy-to-customize Slope Charts. The application is called ChartExpo.
What is ChartExpo?
ChartExpo is an add-in you can easily install in your Excel without needing tutorials.
With many ready-to-go and insightful charts, graphs, and maps, ChartExpo turns your complex, raw data into easy-to-interpret and visually appealing Slope Graphs in Excel.
More benefits
In the coming section, we’ll show you how to analyze your data using the Slope graph in Excel.
Imagine you’re running a Google Ad campaign.
Your key goal is to compare clicks across the targeted geographical locations.
How can you go about this?
The logical step to take is to compare performance between the previous versus current period.
Let’s use the data below for our scenario.
| Period | State | Clicks |
| Previous | Chicago, Illinois, US | 14 |
| Previous | Dallas, Texas, US | 7 |
| Previous | Houston, Texas, US | 12 |
| Previous | Austin, Texas, US | 14 |
| Previous | Albany, New York, US | 31 |
| Previous | Trenton, New Jersey, US | 24 |
| Previous | Newark, New Jersey, US | 22 |
| Previous | Helena, Montana, US | 8 |
| Previous | San Antonio, Texas, US | 7 |
| Current | Chicago, Illinois, US | 21 |
| Current | Dallas, Texas, US | 27 |
| Current | Houston, Texas, US | 30 |
| Current | Austin, Texas, US | 69 |
| Current | Albany, New York, US | 21 |
| Current | Trenton, New Jersey, US | 34 |
| Current | Newark, New Jersey, US | 21 |
| Current | Helena, Montana, US | 21 |
| Current | San Antonio, Texas, US | 28 |
Let’s take a basic math detour.
Generally, a slope is a measure of the steepness of a straight line when plotted on a pair of coordinate axes [x, y].
Letter m will indicate the amount that increases or decreases the dependent variable y when the independent variable x increases by one unit. And is represented by the equation y = mx + b,
There is a wide range of real-world processes, phenomena, scenarios, and systems modeled using straight lines. And naturally, slope charts are strategically positioned to tell the associated story.
A slope chart comprises two parallel vertical axes that indicate the same type of categorical variable with the same units of measurement.
While there is no horizontal axis, the distance between the vertical axes indicates an ordinal scale or a time interval. The numerical values of each category are indicated with points on each vertical axis and linked by a straight line or a curve.
The slopes of these lines or curves reveal the changes in absolute or relative values over time for each category. The information can also be coded using lines of different colors or different thicknesses.
Keep the chart uncluttered by using a manageable number of lines (typically 5–7) to ensure readability.
Use bold lines or colors to emphasize the most critical data points or trends you want to showcase.
Place labels directly on the start and end points of each line for clarity and avoid relying solely on a legend.
Use distinct, contrasting colors for different lines to make comparisons easy and visually appealing.
Ensure the data points selected highlight meaningful changes between the two categories or time periods.
For large datasets, consider filtering data or using subsets to keep the chart simple and impactful.
Include a title, annotations, or additional explanations to provide context and guide the audience through the analysis.
A slope chart is useful when you have two time periods or points of comparison and want to quickly show relative increases or decreases across various categories between the two data points. You can use it to visualize a wider range of data in business and other areas.
According to Prof. Edward Tufte, the pioneer of these charts:
A Slope Chart is one of the graphs that are easy to read and interpret, especially among non-technical audiences.
So you can use this visualization to create data stories that are irresistible for your audience irrespective of their position in the corporate power hierarchy.
Creating a slope chart in Excel does not have to be overwhelming or time-consuming. Yes, if you’ve just landed here, please read the rest of the blog to gain invaluable and thought-provoking tips regarding data storytelling using Slope Graphs.
We’ve compiled complex and time-consuming steps of creating a Slope Chart in Excel just to prove there’s a better alternative. An alternative that can save an immense amount of time and still create visualizations that make your data story compelling.
What’s the time-saving alternative? Use the ChartExpo library.
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