Hey there!
I’m Benjamin from Loves Data.
In this video you’ll learn the top 6 best practice tips for data visualization.
Since we're all exposed to more and more data, visualizing it has become more and more important.
So it's essential to get it right.
It only takes a couple of clicks to export a report from Google Analytics and it’s
not that hard to create a dashboard using Google Data Studio (or your tool of choice),
but being easy doesn’t automatically translate into good data visualization.
You need to make sure you’re visualizing data the right way.
You want to score three goals with your data visualization.
Overall, you want the data to tell a story, you need to consider the context of how the
data will be seen and you want it to be well presented.
Let’s jump in and cover my 9 data visualization tips!
Tip number 1 is to – consider the context.
This is all about knowing your audience.
Ask yourself – who is going to be using the data?
And what do they need to do with the data?
The way you visualize data for your CEO will be different to the way you create a report
to discuss the success of a recent campaign with your marketing team.
Your audience will also inform what you include (and cut) from your report or dashboard.
Tip number 2 is – using the right chart to communicate the information.
From bar charts to scorecards, from scatter charts to heat maps, there are lots of ways
you can choose to visualize data.
You’ll need to spend time selecting the right chart for the job.
Here are some pointers…
Bar charts are perfect for comparisons.
Like comparing the amount of traffic coming from your top marketing channels.
Line charts are ideal for showing changes.
If you want to show the seasonal trend for a metric like users, revenue or conversions,
then a line chart is a great option.
Pie charts are suited to showing proportions.
For example, if you wanted to show the percentage of people converting on mobile devices compared
to tablets and computers.
Bubble charts can be used to show relationships.
Like showing the traffic to product pages along with their total product revenue.
Tables are great for presenting detail.
Sometimes you need more than a simple visualization and this is where a table can work better
than using multiple graphs, like when you want to show multiple metrics for a dimension.
Tip number 3 is – to use the right ordering for the data in the chart.
It can be easier to identify and interpret differences in a chart by using appropriate
ordering.
For example, here we can see a bar chart where the data is ordered alphabetically based on
the name of the category.
This makes it harder to see the relative performance of the marketing channels.
When we reorder the chart based on the value, instead of the category, it makes it easier
to interpret and compare performance.
Tip number 4 is – including comparisons.
When you include a comparison, it makes it easier to identify seasonal trends in the
data.
You can do this quickly by including a date range comparison.
For example, if you have a seasonal campaign every year, then including a year on year
comparison like this one makes it easy to compare performance.
And when you include comparisons try to keep lines in the chart to a minimum.
One or two lines are ideal, but don’t include more than four as it will become difficult
to interpret.
Tip number 5 is – keeping it simple.
Apart from steering clear of 3D charts, you should keep things as simple as possible.
Avoid extra graphics that will distract from the data, remove patterns and textures, and
aim for a simple, clean design.
Tip number 6 is – to consider the colors you use in your charts.
If you have multiple graphs that present the same data, like a social dashboard that includes
two bar charts, then make sure the color for each social network is consistent.
In this example, you can see that we’re always presending data from Twitter in blue
and data from Facebook in red.
It makes it much easier to interpret the data as we look at the two different charts.
And if you’re looking to create a social dashboard, then check out my tutorial on how
you can report on social media using Google Data Studio.
You can find a link to the video in the description below.
Tip number 7 is – Explain the data that you’ve included in your visualization.
It’s important to include a heading with each chart and label the metrics and dimensions
you’ve used.
And make sure labels are helping your audience interpret the data, too many labels can make
it even harder to see trends and understand what’s being presented.
Tip number 8 is – tell a story.
If you want to engage your audience, then telling a story is a useful technique.
Consider what you’re trying to communicate and think about including a beginning, middle
and end.
This can be as simple as deciding how to order charts on a page, through to crafting a narrative
that takes your audience on a journey.
And make sure this considers tip number 1 – the context for your data visualization.
Tip number 9 is – choosing the right tool.
There are lots of ways to visualize your data.
If you’re visualizing data from Google Analytics, then you can use Google Data Studio, Google
Sheets or another tool, but in some cases you might find the in-built dashboards meet
all of your audience’s requirements.
Use the tool that will visualize the data in the way you need and that gets the job
done as efficiently as possible.
So they’re my 9 data visualization tips.
It doesn’t matter how you’re choosing to visualize your data, from Google Sheets,
Excel or Google Data Studio, by applying these tips you’re dashboards and reports will
have the impact they need.
Remember that keeping your data visualization simple, clean and concise will make it easier
to interpret.
So if take a moment and make sure you’re applying these tips to your next data visualization.
And if you’re looking for a great way to visualize data from Google Analytics, Google
Sheets, or just about any other data source, then check out Google Data Studio if you haven’t
already.
It’s an amazing data visualization platform and you can check out my video tutorials to
get started quickly.
Do you have any tips you’d like to add?
Let me know in the comments below!
And if you found this video helpful, then please like it, so I know to make more videos
like this.
See you next time!