A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Harvey Balls in PowerPoint Presentations

Introduction to Harvey Balls in PowerPoint

Harvey balls, also known as cherry pie charts or Boolean charts, are a simple and visually effective way to display qualitative data in PowerPoint. Originally developed in the 1970s by Harvey Poppel at Booz Allen Hamilton consulting firm, harvey balls are now commonly used for things like performance management, metrics reporting, and survey results.

Harvey balls make use of simple graphics like circles or pie shapes that are shaded or colored to different degrees to represent data values. This allows viewers to quickly grasp meaning from the data.

Benefits of Using Harvey Balls

There are several key reasons harvey balls have become a popular data visualization method:

• They are easy to understand at a glance.
• They stand out visually on slides.
• They are less complex than detailed graphs.
• They can display multiple data points concisely.
• The data they represent is clear even without labels.

When to Use Harvey Balls

Harvey balls work best for displaying qualitative comparison data for things like:

• Survey or poll results
• Product or service comparisons
• Rating systems
• Performance metrics
• Project health indicators
• Employee skill assessments

They allow viewers to easily interpret the highs and lows of data at a glance. Harvey balls are less optimal for precise quantitative data that requires exact numbers.

How to Make Harvey Balls in PowerPoint

It's easy to create good-looking harvey balls in PowerPoint. Here are the basic steps:

1. Create a Basic Harvey Ball Shape

Start by inserting a basic circle shape to build the harvey ball around. Under the Insert tab select Shapes and choose a simple circle or oval shape:

You can make the circle any size you like. Harvey balls often range from about 0.75" up to 2" in diameter depending on how much space you have on the slide.

2. Add Shading or Color

To convert the basic shape into a harvey ball, add shading or color. The amount the shape is filled in will represent your data value. For example, a circle filled 25% could represent 25%.

Select the shape, go to Shape Fill in the Format tab, and choose Solid Fill. Then adjust the transparency slider to fill the shape to the desired percentage. The higher the transparency, the less filled the shape will appear.

Alternatively, you can color code harvey balls with different colors representing different data points. Just select the shape and change the fill color to whatever colors you want to use.

3. Add Labels or Data Values

Usually harvey balls benefit from simple labels or data values added right on the shapes. This tells the viewer exactly what the shading or color represents.

To add a label, simply insert a text box beside the shape or inside it, format the text, and type in your label or data value like "25%" or "Low."

4. Repeat and Align Shapes

To convey multiple data points, repeat the steps above to add more harvey balls shaded to different values side-by-side. Make sure to align and evenly space the shapes for a clean presentation.

That's the basics of building harvey balls in PowerPoint! With these steps you can create concise, attractive slides to clearly communicate your qualitative data.

Harvey Ball Design Tips

To take your PowerPoint harvey balls to the next level, incorporate some best practices:

• Use consistent sizing and spacing for shapes.
• Limit to 4-5 data points per slide.
• Start shades at one edge to more easily compare.
• Use supporting graphics like icons or dashboards.
• Keep labels clear and concise.

With creative use of color, symbols, layout, and more, you can build customized harvey ball slides tailored to your message and brand.

PowerPoint Alternatives for Harvey Balls

Though PowerPoint remains the most common tool for slide deck creation, there are other presentation software options that also support building harvey balls:

• Google Slides - Google's free presentation tool has all the basic shape, fill, and alignment options needed for harvey balls.
• Keynote - Apple's presentation app for Mac has robust graphics tools for harvey balls.
• Canva - The graphic design platform contains circles and transparency options to make harvey balls.

Any tool with shape creation and fill options should enable you to produce harvey ball data visualization. PowerPoint just makes it especially straightforward.

FAQs

Should every segment of a harvey ball be the same size?

Consistent sizing is best, as uneven segment sizes can create misleading perceptions of the different data values. The segments don't have to be perfect, but aim to keep them generally the same.

Is there an easy way to create harvey balls in Excel?

Yes, Microsoft provides a Harvey Balls template for Excel available for free download. It allows easy formatting of cells into harvey balls based on input percentages.

Can harvey balls only display percentages?

No - while harvey balls often represent percentages, they can illustrate any qualitative data. You can use them for rating scales, scores, tiered categorization, or general high/medium/low style visual comparison.

Should I explain what a harvey ball means on my slide?

If your audience may not be familiar with harvey balls, a simple explanation can help. Consider titling the slide "Harvey Ball Performance Ratings" or similar to provide context up front.

How can I customize the style of harvey balls further?

For more style options, replace the basic shapes with icons, symbols, or even photos inside geometric frames. Transparent gradient fills rather than solid colors are also an option. Get creative!

FAQs

What are some examples of qualitative data to use harvey balls for?

Harvey balls work well for data like customer satisfaction scores, product ratings, project health status, survey responses, and skill assessments.

Can I animate harvey balls in PowerPoint?

Yes, you can animate harvey balls to build or change incrementally on a slide for added impact. Use PowerPoint's animation effects under the Animations tab.

Do I have to use solid circle shapes for harvey balls?

No, you can customize the shapes. Some options are squares, triangles, arrows, stars, or even images shaped into circles with PowerPoint tools.

What color scheme is best for harvey balls?

Use colors strategically to reinforce the meaning, like red for critical, yellow for moderate, and green for healthy. Or choose colors aligned with your brand palette.

Can I make harvey balls interactive in PowerPoint?

Hyperlinks can be added to harvey balls to link to other slides or external sources. You can also enable click actions to filter data or trigger animations.