How to Create a Chord Diagram?

Displaying flows and relationships between key variables simplifies data analysis. Why?

Multiple pieces of research prove that the human brain can instantly decode node-to-node flows and relationships.

Displaying relationship insights using flow-based visualization designs can help you communicate your findings easily. And one of such graph is a Chord Chart.

The Chord chart, as mentioned earlier, is straightforward to interpret.  Now the question is How to create and read a Chord Chart. It’s no secret that Google Sheets is the go-to visualization tool, especially among professionals and business owners.

However, the spreadsheet application does not natively support Chord Diagrams. You need to invest in other tools to visualize your data.

There’s an add-in you can easily download and install in your Google Sheets to access ready-made Chord Charts, plus many other ready-made and advanced visualization designs.

In this blog, you’ll learn the following:

Table of Content:

1. What is a Chord Diagram?
2. What Does a Chord Diagram Look Like?
3. How Does a Chord Diagram Work?
4. Elements of a Chord Diagram
5. How to Read Chord Diagrams? Easy-to-follow Steps
6. Tool For Making a Chord Diagram
7. How to Create a “Chord Diagram” in Google Sheets?
8. How to Edit the Chord Diagram?
9. Best Practices for Chord Diagrams
10. Wrap Up

We’ll define a couple of basic terms before diving into the how-to guide.

What is a Chord Diagram?

Definition: A Chord Diagram is a chart you can use to display the relationship between data points.

The visualization design is ideal for comparing the similarities within a dataset or between different data groups.

Nodes are arranged along a circle to depict the relationships between key data points, such as those found in YouTubers analytics. Values are assigned to each connection based on the size of each arc. You have an option of using high-contrast colors to create a distinction between key variables in your data.

The key problem with Chord Diagrams is clutter, especially when many connections are displayed simultaneously.

How to read Chord Diagrams should never be a time-intensive affair for you. Keep reading to discover more.

What Does a Chord Diagram Look Like?

Chord Diagrams allow you to visualize bulky and complex data in an appealing and informative way.

Below are the questions that a Chord Chart helps you address.

• What is the magnitude of the flow between key categories in your data?
• Are there anomalies, differences, or similarities in relationships between key data points?

How Does a Chord Diagram Work?

Interpreting a Chord Chart is amazingly easy. Just look at the color codes of various lines in the chart.

For instance:

• Red depicts decline
• Green shows growth
• Grey represents neutrality

Key data points connected by green lines are directly proportionate to each other. If one variable grows, the other will also record growth.

Conversely, variables connected by red lines are inversely proportionate to each other. Data points connected via grey lines are indifferent to each other.

Take a look at the massive table below. Can you tell a data story of what’s going on?

Platform	Video Type	Comments Status	Chord Darkness	Total PT Comments	Total VT Comments
Facebook	Film	Positive	9	52	25
Facebook	Animals	Positive	9	52	9
Facebook	Sports	Negative	9	52	18
YouTube	Vehicles	Positive	6	24	10
YouTube	Travel	Neutral	10	24	8
YouTube	Comedy	Negative	6	24	6
Instagram	Entertainment	Negative	6	21	8
Instagram	Events	Negative	6	21	4
Instagram	Music	Neutral	6	21	9
Twitter	People	Negative	8	30	15
Twitter	News	Negative	4	30	5
Twitter	Science	Negative	6	30	10
Others	Education	Positive	15	35	15
Others	Nonprofit	Positive	6	35	5
Others	Agriculture	Neutral	6	35	15

Note the difference after visualizing the data using a Chord Diagram.

How to Read Chord Diagrams? Easy-to-follow Steps

You can easily point out the relationships between key data points.

• Education videos and other platforms have a positive relationship. And this implies if you post more educational videos on other platforms, the engagement level grows high.
• Video types with people and Twitter have an inverse relationship (negative). More posts result in a decline in engagement.
• The more animal videos are posted on Facebook, the higher the engagement level.

Tool For Making a Chord Diagram

We acknowledge that Google Sheets is one of the most used data visualization tools by many professionals. Besides, it has been around for years and is familiar to a wide range of users. However, while Google Sheets excels as a versatile text visualization tool, it does not natively support Chord Charts. This limitation means you’ll need to use other tools to plot such charts effectively.

To access a ready-to-use and visually appealing Chord Diagram or any type of  Circular Chart in Google Sheets, you have to install third-party apps (add-ons). There are thousands of add-ons purposely for Google Sheets. To save you time, we’ve tested hundreds of add-ons to find the best one for day-to-day visualization needs.

ChartExpo ticks all the boxes concerning the following:

• Ease of use
• Ease of access
• Number of intuitive and advanced charts available
• Affordability

How to read Chord Diagram should never be a stressful affair for you.

In the coming section, you’ll learn how you can install the ChartExpo add-ins for Excel Mac and Windows to access the advanced ready-made and visually stunning charts in Google Sheets.

How to Create a “Chord Diagram” in Google Sheets?

Click this link to install ChartExpo into your Google Sheets.

Once you have installed ChartExpo for Google Sheets, follow the easy steps below:

• Open your Google Sheets application.
• Click the Extensions menu and then click Charts, Graphs & Visualizations by ChartExpo button.
• Finally, click the Open button in the drop-down.

• Click the Create New Chart button to access your fully stocked library of charts.

• Export your table to Google Sheets.
• Look for the “Chord Diagram” in the list of charts, as shown below.

• Select the sheet holding your data and select the Metrics option. Fill in the numerical numbers (in our scenario, we’ll fill in cord darkness, positive comments, and negative comments)
• Select the Dimensions button and fill in the dimensional data (in our example, we’ll use platform, video type, and comment status).

• Finish the simple process by clicking the Create Chart button.

If you follow the instructions (above), your final chart should look like this (above).

Insights

• Education videos and other platforms have a positive relationship. And this implies if you post more educational videos on other platforms, the engagement level grows high.
• Video types with people and Twitter have an inverse relationship (negative). More posts result in a decline in engagement.
• The more animal videos are posted on Facebook, the higher the engagement level.

How to Edit the Chord Diagram?

To add a title to your chart using the Chord Diagram creator (ChartExpo), follow the simple steps below:

• To get started, click the Edit Chart button.

• Once the Chart Header Properties window pops, click the Line 1 box and fill in your title.
• Toggle the small button (just below the Line 2 box) to the left to keep your title showing.
• Preserve your changes by clicking the Apply button, as shown above.

• Complete the simple task by clicking the Save button, as shown above.
• Check out the final diagram below.

• To transfer or share your Chord Diagram, click the Export button, as shown below.

Below is the image you will get after exporting:

Best Practices for Chord Diagrams

1. Simplify Data: Use clear and concise data to avoid clutter and enhance readability.
2. Distinct Colors: Choose contrasting colors for different nodes and chords to improve visual distinction.
3. Label Clearly: Ensure all nodes and connections are properly labeled for easy identification.
4. Focus on Key Relationships: Highlight the most important relationships to draw attention to critical connections.
5. Consistent Thickness: Use chord thickness to represent data magnitude consistently across the diagram.
6. Interactive Elements: Incorporate tooltips or interactive features to provide additional context and details.
7. Balanced Layout: Arrange nodes evenly around the circle to maintain a balanced and aesthetically pleasing design.
8. Test and Iterate: Review the diagram with stakeholders and iterate based on feedback to ensure clarity and usefulness.

FAQs About Chord Diagram

What are Chord Diagrams used for?

The Chord Visualization Design is ideal for comparing the similarities within a dataset or between different groups of data.

Nodes in the chart are arranged along a circle to depict the relationships between key data points. Values are assigned to each connection based on the size of each arc.

What is the function of Chord Diagram?

A Chord Diagram is a graphical method used to visualize relationships between data points in a circular layout. It shows how different segments (nodes) are interconnected through arcs (chords), making it useful for illustrating complex networks, such as connections between entities, flow of resources, or migration patterns.

The diagram helps to quickly identify and understand the strength and direction of relationships within the data.

Wrap Up

As we said, displaying flows and relationships between key variables simplifies data analysis.

Displaying relationship insights using flow-based visualization designs can help you communicate your findings easily. One of the tested and proven charts for the task mentioned above is a Chord Diagram. The aforementioned chart is amazingly easy to interpret.

It’s no secret that Google Sheets is the go-to visualization tool, especially among professionals and business owners.

But Google Sheets does not natively support Chord Diagrams. You have to invest in other tools to visualize your data using the visualization design.

We recommend you install a particular add-on called ChartExpo in your Google Sheets to access the ready-to-use, insightful, and visually appealing Chord Diagram.

ChartExpo has a ready-made, easy-to-interpret, and visually stunning Chord Diagram for your data stories.

You don’t need programming or coding skills to visualize your data using Chord Diagrams in the tool. Furthermore, you can easily export your charts to the world’s most recognized formats, namely JPEG and PNG.

How to read Chord Diagram should never throw a curveball at you.

Sign up for a 7-day free trial today to access a complete list of ready-made, insightful, and visually appealing Chord Diagrams.