Data visualization is an excellent method to understand the story of data in a simple way. Here is an article on some tips to follow while visualizing data.
1) Know the audience
Learn about the audience before designing the visualizations and presenting them. Design the visualizations as per the technical knowledge level of the audience. The takeaway should be crystal clear in the case of an inexperienced audience. On the other hand, the visualizations can be more detailed and interactive in the case of an experienced audience.
2) Keep the data clean
Data cleansing is an important step before heading to visualizing the data and choosing the charts & graphs. Ensure the data does not contain duplicate records and formatting errors. Open-source tools such as OpenRefine are great resources to cleanse and refine data.
3) Select the right visualization type
Choosing the correct visualization helps to convey the message and story clearly. First, determine the data types in the visualization. Then, decide the right visualization type. For example, pie charts are preferred in the case of percentage-based distributions. The below factors also should be considered.
- The relationship between data points
- The number of variables in the analysis
4) Ensure responsiveness in visualizations
Data visualizations are displayed on different devices with different configurations. Responsive images are necessary to ensure the visualizations are shown properly on each device. Adapting to the different screen layouts and resolutions is an important aspect to consider before design the visualizations.
5) Prioritize data visually
A contrasting color palette helps to prioritize data and highlight the important information in the visualizations. In addition, different layouts and organized data enables a better hierarchy between the different sections of the visualization.
6) Comparisons
It is a good practice to include comparisons when presenting a large amount of data through visualizations. Besides, comparing data with charts side-by-side helps to get a clear picture of the message. Some of the examples include comparisons between two time-periods, and strengths and weaknesses charts.
Conclusion – Tips for quality Data Visualizations
Data visualization is a very good way to share analytical results. Moreover, visualizations are powerful tools to help organizations identify trends and make data-powered decisions. They help to know better about organizational data. Check out Deevita’s data visualization services and see how you can leverage your data better. Request a FREE demo today.