I was working on a project and I came across some data to visualize. I didn't think it was worth starting up Excel or google sheets. I just wanted to see a plot of a bunch of numbers.
I figured there was a number of online tools to visualize data, much like there's web-based tools to edit images, create gifs, host images, etc. I was surprised that I couldn't find any.
That's when I had the idea that I should build a platform to create a host charts. This was the birth of Chart It.
One of the big use cases is to engage in online discussions. Many times we can make a point through a graph, but the only problem is finding the graph. It's pretty easy to find data on pretty much anything we want, but interpreting the data is usually tough. Chart It is designed to help people create and share data.
Google Sheets is good but I haven't seen adoption of it on sharing charts specifically. I think one problem is that you have to login with your google id. I may not want my chart to be associated with my google id. Another is that people either aren't aware of it, or don't feel comfortable in an all purpose spreadsheet app
I also like to think that my interface is a little cleaner and simpler. I'm obviously biased because it's my product and I've spent many hours staring at it, but I think a typical person would be able to use my app easier with lower barrier to entry (no account required).
Also, I'm building support for other chart libraries such as chartjs. So my app will give you more options.
I also don't think its very professional to send over a google sheet and it can be noisy. I think people would get some value in having a site that focuses only on the charts.
Another thing I'm building out now is an API so you can create and embed charts into your site. You'll be able to create a chart (e.g. public/my-chart). You'll be able to specify
< script src="api.chartit.io" chartId="myId" path="public/my-chart" >
< div id="myId">
And the chart you created and saved (or any public chart) will be rendered in your div element.
@branko Amazing work Mr. Branko! I've searched for an online charting tool and to my surprise, I didn't find any either. Good on you for taking the problem and doing something about it!
To make ChartIt really useful, please consider adding an account system and embedding options to allow users to manage their charts. My use case is embedding ChartIt charts into my blog articles and being able to update/edit them without updating the embed code.
If you focus on making the charts beautiful and have a clean CMS system, I think ChartIt would check all the right boxes.
Here are some beautiful charts IMO: https://pixinvent.com/modern-adm...
Hengam
Chart It
Chart It
< script src="api.chartit.io" chartId="myId" path="public/my-chart" > < div id="myId">And the chart you created and saved (or any public chart) will be rendered in your div element.