Google is spicing up presentations with GIF data

Google’s making data fun

You can now visualize data in an instant with Google’s Data GIF Maker. The tool was launched by Google News Lab primarily as a resource for journalists to compare search data.

However, it’s available for anyone to use and make simple GIFs.

visual learners

The Data GIF Maker is Google’s way to integrate news into the age of mobile phones. Many people consume news from their cell phone or tablet so every online source must be responsive and minimal enough to understand quickly.

Here lies the reason behind making the new tool so simple.

Data visualizations do not need to be complicated or intricate to be effective. People want something that looks good on their screen. They want to take in the information clearly and then move on to the next thing.

Although Google says there is room for both this type of data consumption and a more complex version, they are catering to an audience that reads news on the go.

How it works

The Date GIF Maker is not limited to journalists. Anyone can get started by simply thinking of two things to compare. The process is about as minimal as the design itself. You use Google Trends to explore hot news topics, which allows you to search any two terms over a specified time.

Trends will pull up the average number of searches over time and you will transfer that information into the GIF Maker.

Just make sure to include the search terms, values and title that will explain your data. After you click “Launch GIF” the tool will create a GIF for you to view and download. The brightly colored GIF shows the two terms and values at the bottom as it moves back and forth.

GIFs for everyone

The best things about the Data GIF Maker is that you don’t have to only use relevant search terms. You can plug in anything to retrieve the data. It’s perfect to make understandable visuals for a work presentation or to just mess around on your own.

Google has made it as straightforward as possible which is how information should be laid out. There is no need to add extra flourishes in these GIFs.

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