Version: Tested with Excel 2003
Keywords: in-cell graph, in-cell chart, text chart graph
In-cell graphs are built in Excel 2007, but these are notorously hard to read and actually does more to confuse the reciever than anything else. There are an alternative option which is very simple to use. Using the REPT function in excel repeats a symbol or string x times. The syntax is:
=REPT($string, repetions)
Now assume we have a column (A) of data, adding =REPT(“|”;A2/5) in the adjecent column (B) would yield something similar to the image below, after som simple formatting.
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Popularity: 3% [?]
Version: Tested on Excel 2003.
Keywords: Excel, data points, custom images, change default
It is surprisingly easy to change the somewhat boring, default data points in excel to something more of your own taste and imagination. Here’s how to do it:
1. Create some random values and a default line graph.
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Popularity: 2% [?]
Summary:This article covers eight important features and considerations to improve usability and the reader confidence for your blog.
This post is largely based on Jacob Nielsens ideas about writing and presenting content on Internet. The focus is on usability, and building a relationship of trust between the user and the author. If you fulfil these two conditions you have a winner. It is not that simple to get there of course but here are a few guidelines and things you can implement that will improve one or the other of usability and building trust.
- Make an author biography. Present yourself and let the reader decide whether he/she should bother listening to your rants. If you think you are qualified, present why. If you are not that qualified, be upfront about it and people can judge for themselves whether they should listen or not. Honesty goes a long way.
- Put your picture up. Being able to put a face on the otherwise anonymous Internet gives an edge. It is also easier to trust to an author that you have a visual relation to.
- Use descriptive post titles. Your titles are often the only information bearer in listings and links, and generic titles like “Check this out!” and “My god, look at this” are not going to get you many new readers. Your title is your ultra-compact post summary. The three first words are the most important.
- Use intelligible links. Users must be able to tell where a link will take them, either from the anchor text or the link title. Never open links in new windows. This is extremely annoying to the user and also eliminate the use of the so important back navigation button.
- Identify some of your pillar posts and link to them from your main navigation system. These are the posts that defines your site. The best you have done. These will entice the reader to keep reading and hopefully, subscribe to your blog.
- Publish regulary. It is better to publish/update once a week, but regularly, than to publish ten posts one week and then take a three week break. Use your blogs schedule function (if it has one) to follow your schedule. There is probably no single ideal posting frequency, so go for what suits you.
- Host your own blog. This is very important, and I figure will be even more important in the future, as Internet real estate increase in importance and value. By using a hosted service you build someone else’s brand instead of your own.
- Use a familiar layout and navigation system. Unless you already have a name and loyal readers I’d recommend that you avoid ‘cutting edge’ menu systems and advanced design. Users don’t want to learn a new navigation system for each site they visit. They want something were they instantly can identify the key functions and quickly find your key content.
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Popularity: 2% [?]
Internet users, and blog readers, generally don’t like to read long, winding texts, so cut your writing in half. Make sure your content is scannable and properly structured, starting with the conclusion and then the supporting information. I’ve been reading a bit about what makes or breaks a text on the Internet, or more specifically, a blog post. It might seem straightforward enough to the novice (me), but one soon discovers that in the razor sharp competition in the blogging world readers have little or no tolerance to bad writing and layout. So what is bad in this context? Well – overly long and talkative texts are bad. Compact text with low scannability is bad. Obviously, poor grammar and punctuation is bad.
To summarize a few points from what I’ve learnt:
- Be brief. Write 50% less than you want to. Excessive scrolling and massive texts are boring and detracts from the interactive experience.
- Use a scannable text layout. Reading from a computer monitor is painful. Bulletize important information, highlight keywords, use meaningful headlines.
- Use effective structure, like the “inverse pyramid” technique. Start with your conclusion, then give supporting information and lastly the introduction.
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Popularity: 2% [?]
Keywords: cell formatting, two values in one cell, average value, confidence interval
Version: Should work in any Excel version from Excel 97 and forward.
Sometimes it is useful to have the output from your excel sheets arranged in such a way that you can cut and paste directly into your Word file (report, paper och whatever it might be) getting a nice, readable result and minimizing the manual editing.
In this example I will show how to summarize a population average and its confidence interval (C.I) in one cell.
1. First of all, you need some data to play around with. Arrange your data as seen in picture 1 below. I have called my data “Sample” and “Value”, but this is of course arbitrary, and you can select any data you wish for this example.
2. In cell C13 we calculate the population average (formula “=average(C3:C12)“), and in cell C15 we calculate our confidence interval (formula “=1.96*C14/SQRT(4)/2“).
Picture 1. Continue reading →
Popularity: 5% [?]