Design: Maintaining a balance between memorable and effective visualization is key. Often, we see visualizations that may be memorable, but not necessarily effective in communicating the data. A challenge with using very unusual design is that people may take notice and remember the visualization, while not being able to relate to it. On the other hand, using a very common design risks the creation of visualization that may not stand out amongst others. If deviating from the common accepted design conventions and charts, it is the responsibility of the visualizer to educate the audience about understanding the design.
Interactivity: With modern interactive visualizations and dashboards, a user is able to customize the visualization by adjusting the parameters provided. A visualization that is meant for an interactive experience and if not interacted with, is an opportunity lost for data communication. The “how to” and “how much” are both equally important in interactivity. A design that does not make it obvious that there is embedded interactivity may prevent a user from knowing the right way to interact with the visualization. A visualizer also needs to decide on which data dimensions a user can interact with. Too much interactivity may get overwhelmingly complex for usability. Similarly, too less interactivity may be a barrier in realizing the full potential of interactivity.
Color: Instead of enhancing the visual appeal, adding color to visualizations may in fact do harm, if not done right. About 8% of male population suffer from color blindness, which is the inability to distinguish between the pairs red-green or blue-yellow colors, with the former being more frequent. In addition, for someone with a normal vision as well may find it difficult to appreciate more than 6 or 7 colors in the same visualization. Using a color blind safe palette as well as showing the right number of colors is essential.
The idea of communicating complex datasets, utilizing visualization is very effective in data storytelling. Employing known compatible tools and interoperability, such as Microsoft Power BI and maintaining graphical integrity, design, interactivity and color are concrete steps into harnessing the power of data visualization. Embrace these fundamentals to highlight nuances and complexity for the next step of organizational understanding around your data.
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