Why a data governance strategy is an essential requirement for the modern business
Data visualisation is an indispensable tool for any organisation that needs to summarise complex information in a format that’s palatable and insightful to a large audience.
Although data visualisation dashboards have come a long way in simplifying the process of presenting large data sets, these solutions aren’t immune to human error, and even the most sophisticated data dashboards can fall victim to poor visualisation practices.
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In this post, we’ll help you avoid these pitfalls by listing three of the most common data visualisation mistakes and how you can avoid them.
Getting too creative with design
With the vast array of data visualisation solutions available on the market today, many people tend to play around with all the different methods of presenting data, often to the detriment of their data set’s clarity.
Take a look at this graph from a Slate article and this one from the subreddit r/dataisbeautiful. Though the graphs convey a very similar set of information, the former has opted for a more convoluted format, requiring more mental activity from the recipient to fully understand what the visualisation is showing.
Though it can be tempting to stretch your chosen tool’s legs when you’ve been using it for a while, data visualisation consultants across the board will tell you that the best format for any visualisation is the one that most people can understand.
When reviewing your graphs and charts, be sure to continually ask yourself if you can make them easier to understand for someone going in without much context.
Including too many variables
In the same vein, stuffing a chart with too many variables can also lead to confusion and missed points. This is a common issue among companies who have recently moved from a more manual approach to comprehensive data visualisation dashboard services, where they mistake the knowledge that they could include huge sets of variables with the feeling that they should.
The purpose of data visualisation is to tell a story, conveying the most pertinent information to your audience while excluding any irrelevant details.
By letting this inform your approach to data visualisation, you’ll make it easy for your audience to pay attention to the most important data, and avoid any confusion when the same concepts and trends are discussed later.
Remember that in situations where a large number of variables is non-negotiable, the form your data visualisation takes can often make a huge difference to how easily it’s received. For example, a pie chart that has a lot of variables can be very hard to interpret at a glance, whereas a horizontal bar chart with variables sorted logically can make the same data set much more digestible.
Using inconsistent scales with creative visualisations
As a data visualisation company, we often see companies that exercise poor consistency with their data visualisation, particularly when it comes to more creative, unconventional methods of presenting data.
Pictograms used to supplement bar charts, for example, can be a great way to break up a data-heavy presentation that’s at risk of becoming mundane, but if they’re not of a consistent scale, they can easily confuse the audience.
Though there’s no inherent harm in breaking the mould when it comes to visualisations, the aesthetics of your data must never get in the way of conveying a clear message.
Wrapping up…
As you go about using data visualisation to convert complex information into representations your colleagues can understand, be mindful of these common pitfalls to avoid larger issues further down the line.
If you’d like to benefits of data visualisation dashboard from the wealth of expertise from a leading UK data visualisation consultancy, get in touch today and find out how our experts can help you.
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