Quick Guide:
How to create a Quadrant Chart in Google Sheets in a few steps.
Step 1: Select the data.
Step 2: Navigate to Insert→ Chart or click the Chart icon
Step 3: Double-click the chart → click Customize→ Modify the ranges of the axes such that they have the same range.
Yes, it’s that easy to create a quadrant chart in Google Sheets!
Sample Google Sheets template with formula here.
A bubble chart that encompasses all four quadrants is what a quadrant chart is. This type of chart allows data analysts to have a broader picture of the data and take into account any negative event or feedback that they may have received to identify areas for improvement.
If you wish to have a wide-angle view of data that ranges in opposite directions, you can create a quadrant chart in Google Sheets and base your decisions on the inferences drawn from the chart.
Steps to create a quadrant chart in Google Sheets
Let’s assume an equity analyst is trying to understand the correlation between the returns generated by stocks of Apple and Google for the past year. The analyst has the following set of returns:
To create a quadrant chart in Google Sheets we follow the steps below:
Step 1: Select the data and insert a chart. To insert a chart you can either click the insert chart icon in the toolbar or go to Insert→ click Chart.
No matter which way you choose, you will see the following scatter chart displayed on your screen:
The only difference between a scatter chart and a quadrant chart is that both the axes of the quadrant chart have the same range. Thus, to create a quadrant chart in Google Sheets from a scatter chart we will need to modify the range of our axes.
In our example, while the Y-axis, i.e, the monthly returns of Google ranges from -10 to 15, the data on the X-axis, ranges from -10 to 10. Hence we modify the range of the axes to successfully create a Quadrant Chart in Google Sheets such that both axes have the same range.
Step 2: Double-click on the chart to open the Chart Editor window.
Step 3: Click on Customize, navigate to the Horizontal axis and modify the minimum and maximum range as shown below:
Step 4: Just like in the previous step, modify the range for the vertical axis as well.
The chart obtained after the completion of the aforementioned steps can now be called a quadrant chart.
How to edit the quadrant chart ?
To create a quadrant chart in Google Sheets, one must make sure that the data presented in the chart is visually appealing as well. You can edit multiple things about the quadrant chart to suit your preferences and make it more appealing.
- Chart Style
This section allows you to change the basic style of the chart. For instance, the background color, the font of the text in the chart and so on.
- Chart and axis titles
The Chart and axes titles allow the user to add/edit the major headings in the chart. One can use this section to modify the font style and position of the titles as well.
- Series
This section allows the user to modify the style in which the data is represented in the chart. The “Format data entry point” allows users to modify individual data points in the chart as well.
This section also has an option to automatically add the trendline in the data represented through the chart. One only needs to check the box as shown below:
- Legend
The legend is used to describe the colours and the data that it represents in the chart. This section allows the user to edit the font style and position of the legend to enhance the chart.
- Other
Using the remaining sections of the customise tab, one can change the way data is represented on the axes of the chart.
For instance, in the horizontal axis section, one can set the minimum and maximum range that the axis is to cover as shown earlier. In the Gridlines and tick section, one can decide how they want the gridlines to appear, their style, thickness and so on.
Once the customisations shown above are made our quadrant chart will look as follows:
Thus, although it may be extremely simple to create a quadrant chart in Google Sheets, one must not forget that data visualization doesn’t just end with the generation of the chart. The chart must be made visually appealing and enhanced with other data to make better and quicker decisions.
Conclusion
Charts play a huge role in the life of an employee that spends hours sitting in front of their screen using excel. They expedite the process of data-driven decision-making. It is as important to know which chart is used to represent the different types of data.
To know more about the different charts, and the type of data they are used to represent, head on to our blog.
See Also
To get a better understanding of the different ways to represent data in Google Sheets, below is the list of a few topics that you may find helpful.
How to create a Pareto Chart in Google Sheets