Download - Creating a Compelling Visualization
Best Practices for Creating a Compelling Visualization
Lori Williams, MPH, PhDTableau Software
April 2012
Visualization Best Practices
• Two Most Important Decisions• Data Storytelling• Choosing Chart Types• Make Your Viz Shine• Test Your Viz• Resources
Two Most Important Decisions
What’s Your Goal?Who’s It For?
GoalsTell a Story
Let people discover
Make a statement
General Public?
Politically Engaged Public
Wonks and Experts
Other Groups
Data Storytelling
Savvy Matters More than Size
Supports Your Goal
Possible with Your Data
Your Audien
ce Cares
Give Users a GuideInverted Pyramid
Story Form
Choosing Chart Types
When to Use Chart TypesBar - Find highs
and lows
Line – See a trend
Pie – general sense of proportions
Map – show geographic data
Table – for exact numbers
What to look out for
Pies not good for ranking
One value is MUCH bigger
Too many categories
When to Use Chart Types Part 2Scatter – find relationships
Gantt – activities or events over time
Bullet– show progress towards a goal
Heat map– show hot spots concisely
Tree maps, Markimekko
– for hierarchical data
Network diagrams – show relationships
Making Your Viz Shine
What Are the Elements of a Viz?
Title
Filter
Subtitle
Share button
s
Credits
Logo
You can’t see – TooltipInteraction
Chart 1
Chart 1
Data!
Before You Start Creating
Choose Your Numbers Wisely
Supports Your Goal
Makes Sense
for Your Data
Be Acceptable to Your
Audience
Language
Language
Language
Titles and Text
Algerian, Harlow Solid, RoseWood Std
Arial, Calibri, Adobe Caslon Pro, Helvetica
ColorSupport your goals
Work in B & W
Is culturally specific
Take advantage of expectations
Test Your Viz
Tableau Public
• http://www.tableausoftware.com/public
Resources
• Designing Data Visualizations* by Iliinsky
• Now You See it by Few • Visual Display of Quantitative Informatio
n by Tufte
• Flowing Data blog• Which Chart or Graph Is Right for You• Juice Analytics Chart Chooser*discount code cards
Tableau helps people see and understand data.
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