Date: Monday, May 11, 2026
Hello! I’m Chunling Niu, and I chair AEA’s Data Visualization and Reporting TIG. Let’s talk about something I see constantly in evaluation reports: default charts. The bar graphs and pie charts that Excel auto-generates with zero thought about whether they’re actually the clearest way to make your point. Nowadays AI tools offer us new ways to break out of that rut.
Picking the right chart type is one of the most consequential, and most under-trained skills in evaluation reporting. Tools like Claude and ChatGPT make surprisingly good sounding boards. Describe your data structure, your key message, and your audience, then ask for visualization recommendations with rationale. I did this recently for a mixed-methods evaluation and got a suggestion for a connected dot plot I hadn’t considered. It ended up being far more effective than the grouped bar chart I’d been planning. Pair this with the Financial Times Visual Vocabulary, which categorizes chart types by the relationship you’re trying to show. It’s a fantastic quick reference.
Before you touch your visualization software, try asking an AI tool to help you articulate the story your data tells. Paste in a summary table and prompt: “What are the three most important patterns here for a funder audience?” This forces you to nail down your message before you start designing, which almost always produces stronger visuals. Think of it as a thought partner for sharpening your focus, instead of a replacement for your interpretive lens.
A word of caution. AI tools can now generate complete visualizations from data, and the outputs are getting sleeker. But “sleek” is not the same as “right.” I’ve tested several and found misleading axis scales, color choices that fail for color blind readers, and labels that obscure rather than clarify. Stephanie Evergreen’s work on effective data visualization remains essential foundation reading. After all, AI tools should build on those principles, not leapfrog them.
Bottom line: AI is a powerful drafting partner, but your evaluator expertise is what turns a chart into a communication tool!
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