Creating Gradient Color Pie/Radar Chart to Represent Maturity Level in Excel

Creating Gradient Color Pie/Radar Chart to Represent Maturity Level in Excel

In this article, we will discuss how to create a gradient color pie or radar chart in Excel to represent the maturity level of five different fields. For instance, let's consider the fields as B, C, E, with a scale of 0-100.

Data Preparation

The first step is to prepare the data that needs to be represented in the chart. To create a pie/radar chart, we need to have the data in a tabular format with two columns - one for the categories (fields B, C, E) and another for the corresponding values (scores from 0-100).

Field Score
B 50
C 75
E 85


Creating the Radar Chart

Now that we have the data ready, we can create a radar chart. Here are the steps:

1. Select the data range (including headers)
2. Go to the "Insert" tab in the Excel ribbon
3. Click on the "Radar Chart" button in the "Charts" group
4. Select the first option - "Radar with Markers"

This will create a radar chart with markers at each data point. By default, Excel uses the first column as the category names and the second column as the values.

Customizing the Radar Chart

Next, we need to customize the radar chart to make it more visually appealing and informative. Here are the steps:

1. Right-click on the chart and select "Format Data Series"
2. In the "Series Options" pane, set the "Radar Style" to "Minimum-Maximum Line"
3. Set the "Minimum value" to 0 and the "Maximum value" to 100 (or the maximum score)
4. In the "Fill & Line" pane, set the "Marker Fill" to "Solid Fill" and choose a color for the markers
5. To add a gradient color to the chart, we need to use a workaround as Excel does not support gradient fills in radar charts
6. Add a new series with the same data points (right-click on the chart, "Select Data", add a new series with the same range)
7. Format the new series with a gradient fill (right-click on the series, "Format Data Series", "Fill & Line" pane, "Fill" option, "Gradient Fill")
8. Set the transparency of the gradient fill to make the markers visible

This will create a radar chart with gradient colors and markers at each data point.

Creating a Pie Chart

If you prefer a pie chart over a radar chart, the steps are similar:

1. Select the data range (including headers)
2. Go to the "Insert" tab in the Excel ribbon
3. Click on the "Pie Chart" button in the "Charts" group
4. Select the first option - "2-D Pie"

This will create a pie chart with the categories as slices and the corresponding values as the sizes of the slices.

Customizing the Pie Chart

Next, we need to customize the pie chart to make it more visually appealing and informative. Here are the steps:

1. Right-click on the chart and select "Format Data Series"
2. In the "Series Options" pane, set the "Angle of the first slice" to 90
3. In the "Fill & Line" pane, set the "Doughnut Hole Size" to 0 (to create a pie chart)
4. Set the "Marker Fill" to "Solid Fill" and choose a color for the markers
5. To add a gradient color to the chart, we need to use a workaround as Excel does not support gradient fills in pie charts
6. Add a new series with the same data points (right-click on the chart, "Select Data", add a new series with the same range)
7. Format the new series with a gradient fill (right-click on the series, "Format Data Series", "Fill & Line" pane, "Fill" option, "Gradient Fill")
8. Set the transparency of the gradient fill to make the markers visible

• In this article, we discussed how to create a gradient color pie or radar chart in Excel to represent the maturity level of five different fields
• We covered data preparation, creating and customizing the radar chart, and creating and customizing the pie chart
• We used a workaround to add a gradient color fill to the charts, as Excel does not support gradient fills directly in radar and pie charts

References

• Excel Easy - Radar Chart
• My Online Training Hub - Add Gradient Fills to Your Charts in Excel