Unless you enjoy staring a squares, punching in rows of data into Microsoft Excel isn’t exactly a glamorous way to produce graphs and charts, particularly when the end result is not so aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Presenting data with a balance of aesthetic and readability is key, particularly when multiple graphs are being jammed into a single presentation.
Aiming to help users find that balance and further up its game as it looks to square off against the likes of Microsoft Office, Canva has announced today the introduction of new productivity tools that will allow users to visualise, embed and host data.
A new chart feature will allow users to enter or upload their data from a spreadsheet to produce attractive and customisable graphs, bar charts, and more. This feature comes with addition of the embedding option, which will allow users to convert content into presentations to share with readers.
These presentations can be embedded to share on websites or socially, and will update in real-time if the author makes any changes. The presentations themselves can be customised to allow for user interaction similar to a slideshow format, or framed as one static slide that can be used for infographics and single graphs.
Users will additionally now be able to turn their Canva designs into interactive websites which are designed to function across mobile, tablet and desktop platforms, relieving users of the need to create and host an entire website just to feature their portfolio or resume.
This announcement comes just a few months after the startup raised a US$15 million ($19.8 million) round from Blackbird Ventures and Silicon Valley firm Felicis Ventures, funding which was to be geared towards the businesses expansion. Raising at a valuation of US$345 million, Canva announced it had grown to reach over 10 million users worldwide.
Speaking about the new features, cofounder Melanie Perkins said the tools will be helpful for a variety of industries as they simplify the complex processes involved using similar features in other mainstream softwares.
“The vision for Canva has always been to empower anyone to take an idea and communicate it. Our aim is to bridge the gap between Microsoft and Adobe, by making it easy to create something that looks great, without needing to learn a complex tool,” she said.
The entrepreneur said that the year ahead would see Canva continuing to develop its product to ensure a more tailored experience for users.
“One of our key focuses for 2017 is ensuring that Canva perfectly meets the needs of every profession,” Perkins said.
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