In a previous post, we discussed how to get better results from AI assistants in Excel by giving them clear rules around workbook structure, formula selection, and overall design:
Another approach is to guide the data visualizations you get by uploading a data visualization style guide. This is essentially a set of standards your organization uses for charts, colors, labeling, and when to use different visual types. Even before Copilot, this helped keep reporting consistent and easier to interpret across teams.
Now it is even more valuable, because you can use it as a reference in your prompt so the AI follows those same standards when generating visuals. Upload the guide, reference it clearly, and see how the results improve. Check out the video and files below to follow along.
In the video, we’ll use the EITI data visualization style guide, which you can download at the exercise link or below. The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative sets global standards for transparency in oil, gas, and mining, and their style guide lays out clear recommendations for choosing chart types, using color, and presenting data consistently.
We’ll pair that with a small synthetic dataset (also in the download folder) and walk through a few quick prompts to see how well those guidelines carry through.
You’ll notice it’s not perfect. Some of the visuals miss the mark, and to be fair, a few of the EITI recommendations are difficult to execute in Excel because those chart types aren’t straightforward to build.
That said, the reasoning is there. You can inspect what it’s doing, make adjustments, and iterate. There’s also a fair amount of hardcoded data, so there’s still room to improve how the workbook is structured. That kind of guidance typically isn’t included in a data viz style guide anyway, which highlights the opportunity here. The more clearly you define your rules, the better the results you’ll get.
Overall, it’s a really promising direction.
You’ll notice this one is a bit shorter, more hands-on, and centered around the video. Things are moving quickly right now, and this format feels like the best way to share ideas you can actually put to use right away.
If you’re finding this helpful, I’m building out a full library of this kind of content in my membership. You can check it out with a free first week.