Notion has just released one of its most anticipated features — charts. If you’ve been following Notion on social media or were lucky enough to be a beta tester, you’ve likely caught glimpses and previews of this feature over the past two months.
The anticipation has been palpable, and now that charts are officially live, it’s the perfect time to share how you and your team can fully leverage them.
But before we explore the functionality of these charts, let’s discuss why this new feature is a game-changer.
The reality is that we all have an abundance of data stored in Notion. Whether it’s for tracking tasks, managing projects, or analyzing metrics, our databases are overflowing with information.
But here’s the problem: making sense of that data isn’t always easy. When dealing with a database that has 10,000 rows — or even more — it can become really challenging to extract any meaningful insights. You stare at the screen, wondering how to connect the dots between all that raw data.
This is where Notion charts come to the rescue. They transform those overwhelming tables into clear, visual representations. With charts, you can quickly spot trends, identify bottlenecks, and understand the big picture without digging through endless rows of data.
How to make charts in Notion
Creating charts in Notion is straightforward, and you don’t need to be a data expert to get started; here are the two ways:
Create a chart view from an existing database: If you already have a database in Notion, you can easily add a chart view. Just like you would create a table, board, or calendar view, you can now select the chart option.
Insert a chart directly into a Notion page: Want to add a chart to a specific page? No problem. Just type /chart and you’ll see a variety of chart types to choose from. This feature is perfect for creating dashboards or reports where you need to present data visually alongside text, images, or other blocks.
Notion Chart Types
Notion currently offers four different types of charts that you can use to visualize your data:
Vertical Bar: Great for comparing quantities or tracking changes over time with clear visual distinctions between categories.
Horizontal Bar: Ideal for comparing items across a single metric, making it easy to see which categories are leading or lagging.
Line Chart: Perfect for visualizing trends over time, allowing you to track progress or changes in metrics with precision.
Donut: Best for showing proportions and distribution within a dataset, giving a quick overview of how different parts contribute to the whole.
Each chart type comes with various properties that you can customize depending on your needs. For instance, you can set the Y and X axes, sort data in a specific order, group by certain criteria, count items, and much more.
What sets Notion Charts apart from other apps with built-in charts?
Flexibility
Notion charts effortlessly fit into the way you already work in Notion. Unlike other tools where charts feel like an add-on, Notion lets you mix and match charts with anything else you’re working on — text, images, checklists, you name it — all on the same page. It’s like having the freedom to build your own custom dashboard exactly how you want it. You can pull in data from different databases, add notes or explanations right next to your charts, and create something that not only looks good but actually helps your team understand and act on the information.
Here are some ways you and your team can use Notion charts.
Project management: visualizing workloads and progress
Take project management, for example. If you’ve got a large team, you’re probably tracking a ton of tasks across various projects. Without charts, you might find yourself endlessly scrolling through tasks, trying to figure out who’s overloaded and which projects are falling behind.
With Notion charts, you can build a dashboard that shows your tasks per engineer, tasks completed over time, and progress by project. These visualizations allow you to quickly identify which team members are stretched thin and which ones have capacity, allowing you to redistribute work and keep projects on track.
Sales: tracking revenue, lead sources, and lead status
Sales teams can use Notion charts to track key metrics such as revenue, lead sources, and lead status in one comprehensive view. Teams can monitor growth and forecast future sales. Analyzing lead sources — whether from cities, social media channels, or paid ads — helps identify which channels are most effective, allowing for better resource allocation. Additionally, tracking the status of leads through the sales funnel enables teams to quickly spot and address any bottlenecks, ensuring a smooth process from initial contact to deal closure.
Marketing: tracking campaign performance and ROI
For marketing teams, data is everywhere — from social media metrics to email open rates and campaign performance.
Create charts for each campaign to track key performance indicators (KPIs) like website traffic, conversion rates, and return on investment (ROI). Not only does this give you a clear view of what’s working and what’s not, but it also makes it easier to report these insights to stakeholders, who can quickly grasp the impact of your efforts.
Engineering: monitoring system performance and code quality
Engineering teams can also massively benefit from Notion charts. With the complex nature of software development, you might be tracking everything from bug reports to deployment frequency. Visualizing this data helps with identifying patterns, like an increase in bug reports after a specific deployment, or a dip in code quality that needs addressing.
Finance: budget tracking and financial forecasts
Notion charts can be a powerful tool for tracking budgets, expenses, and financial forecasts. Instead of sifting through endless rows of financial data, you can visualize spending trends, compare actuals versus projections, and track financial KPIs all in one place.
This makes it easier to spot anomalies, such as unexpected spikes in spending, and adjust your strategy accordingly. Plus, when it comes time to present to the executive team, you’ll have clear, visually appealing charts that tell the financial story at a glance.
Product: visualizing feature development and user feedback
Product teams can leverage Notion charts to keep a pulse on feature development and user feedback. By charting feature requests, bug reports, and user satisfaction scores, product managers can prioritize the right features and improvements that will have the most significant impact.
For instance, tracking the number of feature requests over time can help identify which requests are gaining traction and should be prioritized. Additionally, visualizing user feedback in relation to recent updates can provide quick insights into how changes are being received by the user base
There’s so much more to explore with Notion charts — new ways to present your data, fresh perspectives on your projects, and countless opportunities to turn raw information into actionable ones.
Ready to integrate Notion Charts into your workspace?
If you’re excited to bring these charts into your Notion workspace or need help with anything related to Notion, let’s talk. Together, we can take your data management to the next level!
