Turning Information into Visualization

By Eric Olson

In our work at World Business Chicago, and on the Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs we are constantly sifting through mountains of data, distilling it and presenting the insights gleaned from it to numerous stakeholders across the region and beyond. Effective information design is crucial to our work but it can also be very time consuming when only standard tools like Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint are available. This is why we are excited that think-cell software has agreed to provide their presentation suite to us free of charge.

think-cell allows the World Business Chicago team to quickly and efficiently create professional charts, graphics, and presentations for our numerous communications. Chart types include waterfalls, Marimekkos, and Gantts that can be automatically updated from underlying Excel data. The software also provides a set of tools to structure and maintain agendas in PowerPoint presentations, and allows us to produce clear project plans in far less time than would otherwise be possible. This beneficial partnership will ultimately increase the effectiveness of our efforts to grow the economy in the Chicagoland region.

[Updated 10.28.14 by Jake Trussell]