There is no doubt that data plays a crucial role in research, presentations, and discussions (especially when they turn into arguments) but it is the representation of data which can actually affect the outcome. To put in simple words, collecting data is different and to present it to others is totally different. This is where Google wants to help you with your data representation with its newly-launched data visualization tool named Data GIF Maker.
As the name suggests, it lets users have any data and represent it in the form of animated GIFs which make it easier for others to interpret and also takes away the dullness and boringness of looking at them. The best part is that the tool is both free and easy to use and even though Google specifically talked about journalists, it can be used by anyone who wants to showcase his data in a better way. To get started, you simply need to visit the Data GIF Maker website and enter two data points along with texts. The next step is to choose colors and a text to explain what the data is about. Once you have done all these steps, click on “Launch Comparisons” button to see the preview or “Download as GIF” button to download in either low or high resolution. But do keep in mind that it might take some time before the preview appears in the browser, especially if you have done multiple comparisons. The tool supports up to five comparisons at a given point of time.
While the Data GIF Maker tool is free to use, it is worth mentioning that it is a pretty basic data visualization tool. It does not offer much customization and advanced options like what we saw with Google Data Studio unveiled last year. The GIF Maker supports only two data points which mean if you have a complex data or any data with more than two data points, you will not be able to make use of it. Similarly, there is only one way of data visualization which is to show the two data points as columns. It can surely be expected that Google might release some more features to the tool in the future but for the time being, click the source link below to check out the tool and create your own data GIFs like the one shown below.
