On-Demand Course

Leveraging AI for
Better Data Visuals

Learn how to use AI to create better data visualizations. Learn a 5-step prompting framework for visuals, AI-assisted workflows, and design critique techniques to turn raw data into compelling visual stories that drive decisions.

🤖 AI-Assisted Workflows
✍️ Prompting Frameworks
🎯 Design Critique
Enroll in This Course →
Lifetime Access · Self-Paced · Works with ChatGPT, Claude & Copilot
🏆 Taught by Microsoft MVP
🎓 Wharton Online Instructor
📊 5-Step Proven Workflow
🛠️ Hands-On Exercises
♾️ Lifetime Access

Your Instructor

Paul Barnhurst
Paul Barnhurst
Microsoft MVP FPAC AFM Wharton Instructor

Paul is a widely recognized FP&A expert, Microsoft MVP for Excel, and the instructor behind the Modern Excel content in the Wharton Online FP&A Certificate program. He's trained thousands of finance professionals, hosts three top-rated finance podcasts, and has nearly 100,000 LinkedIn followers. His teaching style is practical, hands-on, and focused on skills you can apply immediately.

What You'll Learn

A Practical Framework for AI-Powered Visuals

This course teaches you a repeatable, practical framework for using AI to improve every step of your data visualization process.

🤖

AI-Assisted Workflows

  • 5-step workflow from goal to final visual
  • Use AI to suggest chart types and approaches
  • Draft, critique, and refine visuals with AI
  • Work across ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot
✍️

Prompting for Visualization

  • The 5-part prompting framework
  • Context, data, story, constraints, and the ask
  • Get multiple options with reasoning
  • Learn to make better independent decisions
🎯

AI as Your Design Critic

  • Upload visuals and get structured feedback
  • Critique charts against best practices
  • Identify improvements humans miss
  • Hands-on exercises with real chart examples
The Process

The AI-Assisted Visualization Workflow

A 5-step process you can apply immediately to improve your visuals.

1
Define Your Goal
What story should your data tell?
2
Ask AI for Options
Bar, line, waterfall, combo?
3
Create Draft Visual
Build it yourself or with AI assistance
4
AI Critique & Refine
Reduce clutter, improve titles
5
Finalize Visual
Polish and present with confidence

Pro Tip: Always ask AI for multiple chart options with the reasoning behind each. This helps you learn visualization best practices and make better independent decisions over time, rather than becoming dependent on AI.

The Curriculum

Course Chapters

Five focused chapters that take you from understanding AI's role in data viz to applying it in a real-world capstone case study.

1

Introduction

Get oriented to the course and discover the many ways AI can transform your data visualization work. You'll leave this chapter with a clear picture of what's possible.

2

The AI-Assisted Workflow

Learn a repeatable 5-step workflow for using AI in your visualization process, from defining your goal to finalizing your visual. Learn a prompting framework that can you use starting today.

3

AI as Your Design Critic

Put AI to work as your personal design reviewer. Learn how to upload visuals and get structured feedback against best practices. Apply what you've learned through two hands-on exercises.

4

Crafting Better Titles & Best Practices

Use AI to craft chart titles that tell the story, not just describe the data. Walk away with key best practices and a clear list of common pitfalls to avoid.

5

Case Study: Electronics Business Unit

Bring it all together in this capstone exercise. Using an Electronics Business Unit P&L, see how to use AI to analyze data, choose the right visuals, and build a compelling story for a board-level presentation See how Excel Agents can build visuals for you and compare them to working directly in the LLM.

What AI Can Do for Your Data Visuals

💡

Instant Design Feedback

Upload any chart or dashboard screenshot to your LLM of choice and get structured critique against data visualization best practices. AI models spot issues humans often miss.
📊

Explore Chart Options

Not sure which chart type to use? AI can recommend options for your data and audience, with the reasoning behind each suggestion so you learn along the way.
📝

Compelling Titles & Descriptions

Move beyond generic titles like "Q3 Revenue" to insight-driven titles that communicate the story. AI generates multiple options so you can pick the one that resonates with your audience.
⚠️

Pitfalls to Avoid

Learn common mistakes including trusting AI blindly, over-designing visuals, ignoring your audience, skipping the "why," and failing to edit AI-generated text. Stay in control of the process.

Who This Course Is For

✅ Perfect Fit If You:

  • Work in FP&A, finance, or analytics
  • Create data visuals regularly
  • Want to use AI tools more effectively
  • Want to improve your visual storytelling

🎯 You'll Walk Away With:

  • A repeatable AI-assisted workflow
  • A prompting framework for visuals
  • Techniques for writing insight-driven titles
  • Confidence using AI without depending on it

Get Even More Value with the Digital Course Bundle

This course is available individually or as part of The FP&A Guy's Digital Course Bundle, which gives you access to all current and future courses at one price.

Best Value

The FP&A Guy Digital Course Bundle

  • Leveraging AI for Better Data Visuals (this course)
  • All current FP&A Guy digital courses
  • The full Data Visualization course when it launches
  • Access to all future courses added to the bundle
  • One-time purchase with lifetime access
Get the Full Bundle →

When future courses launch, bundle members will automatically get access at no additional cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

No prior AI experience is needed. The course teaches you the prompting frameworks and workflows from the ground up. If you can type a question, you can follow along. The techniques work with ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, or any major LLM.
The course is designed to be completed in a few hours. It's self-paced, so you can work through it at your own speed. Most students complete it in one or two sittings.
You'll need access to at least one large language model such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot and Microsoft Excel. A free tier will work for the exercises but with a paid version you can practice using Excel agents vs just watching the instruction. Paid version is not necessary but helpful.
While the examples are finance-focused, the AI visualization techniques apply to anyone who creates charts and presents data, including analysts, consultants, data scientists, and business leaders.
The Digital Course Bundle includes this course plus all other current and future FP&A Guy digital courses. When the full Data Visualization course launches, bundle members will automatically receive access at no extra cost.
Yes! A comprehensive Data Visualization course is in development with over 100 videos. When it launches, anyone who purchased the Digital Course Bundle will get automatic access. Purchasing the bundle now locks in your access to the full course at no additional cost.

Ready to Transform Your Data Visuals with AI?

Join the course and start creating better charts, more compelling stories, and more impactful presentations today.

Questions about the course? Email me and I'll help you decide which option is right for you.

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