Displaying progressive data in the dashboard for your audience (or readers) is not a walk in the park.
You require a visualization chart that’s easy to interpret. Why? Tracking continuous data with inappropriate graphs may distort the key findings or mislead the intended audience.
To track and display continuous data reliably, use a Gauge Chart. The chart is arguable among the easiest-to-read visualization designs you can leverage to persuade your audience.
The uniqueness of this chart lies in its minimalist design and appearance. You can easily get insights without subjecting your brain to cognitive overload.
You cannot find ready-made Gauge Charts in Google Sheets.
Google Sheets has pretty basic charts that need more time and effort in editing.
You don’t have to do away with Google Sheets. You can supercharge its usability by installing a particular add-on to access ready-to-use and visually appealing Gauge Graphs.
In this blog, you’ll learn:
Before jumping right into the how-to guide, we’ll address the following question: What is a Gauge Chart?
A Gauge Chart is one of the most commonly used tools for visualizing progressive values. Besides, it’s also known as a speedometer chart.
The chart looks like a speedometer or a dial (in most cases) with a needle pointing to a certain value over the pivot point. The dial usually has different colors that divide the scale into several parts.
The use of contrasting colors has profound effects on our brains. We like to employ three colors in our Gauge Charts, namely:
These colors are incredibly effective in helping shape the narrative you want the audience to get. It would help if you tried it out.
A Google Sheets Gauge Chart indicates the reading on a dial with the help of a needle. And this makes it incredibly valuable in comparing smaller data points. This chart has ranges that communicate insights instantly. So, you don’t have to struggle to see the bigger picture.
The tested and proven way of visualizing your data effectively using a Gauge chart is using colors strategically. And this includes red (poor performance), yellow (average performance), and green (target or top performance).
Well, don’t get us wrong.
The fact above is based on what’s working. We’ve discovered that the aforementioned colors get an overwhelming response.
These colors are somewhat embedded into our brains as a reference for a particular phenomenon. For instance, red mostly stands for danger or hazard. And green is most associated with what’s desired- optimum performance.
Ideally, a Gauge Chart consists of three major parts that can vary according to the construction of the diagram:
In the coming section, we’ll address the following: how to use a Gauge Chart?
Because gauge charts are easy to create and understand, they can be applied in multiple business scenarios.
However, it is important to consider because this type of visualization is mostly used to display one single value, it’s not the best choice if you want to extract deeper insights from your data.
For this reason, it’s critical to identify the best scenarios in which your business can benefit from this chart type.
Check out recommended scenarios for using a Gauge Chart below.
If you have a linear metric and want to display how it changes, the Gauge Chart is the way to go.
Yes, you read that right.
You can monitor your metrics based on a time period to understand how the values changed. Also, you can compare the performance to a different time, for example, a year, and see if there were improvements.
Use a Google Sheets Gauge Chart to target metrics. And this will help you understand the performance of a specific KPI based on a target you pre-defined.
For example, the chart can easily display the percentage of the goal that has been achieved until a specific time.
Gauge Charts are critical in tracking project progress or deadlines in a business. Use the visualization design to keep track of the tasks and deadlines involved in a project.
Another significant and popular use of this visualization is to compare two datasets.
The aforementioned can be achieved using a single dashboard with multiple Google Sheets Gauge Charts. For example, you can compare the revenues of one month with the total revenues based on a yearly target.
In the coming section, we’ll address how to create a Gauge Chart in Google Sheets?
Google Sheets has inbuilt charts you can use to extract answers from your data.
However, you’ll never find a ready-to-use Gauge Chart in Google Sheets for your analysis. The most viable option available for you is installing a particular third-party add-on (we’ll talk about later) to access ready-made Gauge Graphs.
You don’t need to do away with Google Sheets in favor of other expensive tools.
We recommend you try the ChartExpo add-on for Google Sheets because of the reasons listed below.
ChartExpo does not require coding or programming skills, unlike other data visualization-based add-ons. It has an ultra-friendly user interface (UI) for everyone to use.
This tool comes pre-loaded with ready-made charts to offset the missing ones in Google Sheets. Use ChartExpo to produce charts that are incredibly easy to read and understand.
Generating Google Sheets Gauge Charts should never be time-consuming. Use ChartExpo to overcome this. You’ll learn more about this cutting-edge tool in the next section.
So, what is ChartExpo?
ChartExpo comes as an add-on for Google Sheets.
Essentially, it turns your Google Sheets into a usable data visualization tool capable of delivering hidden insights into your data, irrespective of the size or complexity.
The premium Google Sheets Gauge Maker comes with a 7-day free trial period.
The key benefit of ChartExpo is it produces charts in Google Sheets that are easy to read and interpret. More so, it allows you to save charts in the world’s most recognized formats, namely PNG, PDF, and JPG.
This section will use Gauge Chart in Google Sheets to visualize the data below.
| Topic | Project Progress | Target |
| Overall Project | 71 | 100 |
To Get Started with the Google Sheets Gauge Chart, install the ChartExpo add-on for Google Sheets from this link, and follow the simple and easy steps below.
To create easy-to-read and visually stunning Speedometer Charts, follow the simple steps below.
The first step is to define the metrics you’ll visualize using the Google Sheets Gauge Chart. And this is because it will help you provide the context for your data narrative.
Visual information is more appealing to our brains than words and numbers only. In fact, studies show we can process visual content 60,000 times faster than numbers and words. High-contrast colors are ideal because they bring out comparison insights.
Gauge charts are widely used in dashboards to indicate whether data or measurement is within, below, or above certain values.
More so, they are very simple graphics that manage to capture the audience’s attention very quickly, even the non-specialized ones. Gauge Charts provide information about a single quantitative measurement, comparing its present value to a goal and a series of ranges indicated by different colors.
Check out some of the practical uses of the chart (below).
The charts share a great resemblance to a car speedometer. And this makes them ideal for displaying performance metrics. You can easily monitor your metrics to understand their changes over time.
Check where the needle is pointing to gain meaningful insights. For instance, you can use Gauge Charts to understand the performance of a specific KPI based on a target you’ve pre-defined.
A Gauge Chart is one of the most commonly used tools for visualizing progressive values. Also, it’s known as a Speedometer Graph.
The chart looks like a speedometer or a dial (in most cases) with a needle pointing to a certain value over the pivot point. And the dial usually has different colors that divide the scale into several parts.
Gauge reports are the insights communicated by the Speedometer Chart.
The tested and proven way of visualizing your data effectively using a Gauge chart is using colors strategically. And this includes red (poor performance), yellow (average performance), and green (target or top performance).
Displaying progressive data in the dashboard for your audience (or readers) is not a walk in the park.
You require a visualization chart that’s easy to interpret. Why? Tracking continuous data with inappropriate graphs may distort the key findings or mislead the intended audience.
To track and display continuous data reliably, use a Gauge Chart. The chart is arguable among the easiest-to-read visualization designs you can leverage to persuade your audience.
The uniqueness of this chart lies in its minimalist design and appearance. You can easily get insights without subjecting your brain to cognitive overload.
You cannot find ready-made Gauge Charts in Google Sheets. Google Sheets has pretty basic charts that need more time and effort in editing.
You actually don’t have to do away with Google Sheets.
So, what’s the solution?
Download and install an add-on called ChartExpo in your Google Sheets. ChartExpo comes jam-packed with over 50 Chart templates, including ready-to-use Gauge Charts.
So how can I get a Gauge Chart for FREE?
When you sign up for ChartExpo, you’ll get FREE access for the next 7 days. Yes, you read that right.
If you have data and intend to create a compelling story, use a Gauge Chart.
The visualization design is very easy to interpret, regardless of your technical background. Besides, it eliminates the need for your audience to think hard (cognitive overload).
Sign up for a 7-day free trial today to access ready-made and visually appealing Speedometer Charts for your data story.
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