From tube maps to calendars and even fitness trackers on our smartwatches. Data visualisation is everywhere around us, so much so that people often don’t realise that data is being communicated to them on a near-constant basis.
On a business level, data visualisation allows all stakeholders within an organisation to understand their data, regardless of their data literacy. Without data visualisation, organisations can’t identify trends in their data or capitalise on the things they’re already doing well, as reflected by their data.
Read on to get to grips with all things data visualisation, including its applications and benefits.
What is data visualisation?
Within wider data processes, data visualisation is the graphical representation of data in a visual format. This can include anything from charts and graphs to maps to represent complex data sets in an understandable way.
The goal of data visualisation is to communicate insights with the wider team, not just the data specialists, so that all stakeholders can quickly and easily understand the organisation’s readily accessible data. When data visualisation is done effectively, businesses are able to gain insights and use them to make data-driven decisions in line with business objectives, helping to reach goals more effectively.
Through visual representation, data visualisation helps organisations to understand what is working well, but more importantly, identifies opportunities for improvement and growth. In order to understand and communicate a story, data visualisation is required to get to the heart of the data and articulate what it means.
The data visualisation process
The first stage of the data visualisation process is requirements gathering, helping to gain an understanding of the required outcome of the process. Requirements gathering adds value for the stakeholders by highlighting the business objectives they’re working towards and outlining how data can lead the way.
In the next stage of the process, wireframes are drawn up based on these requirements. This gives the client and data team an idea of the general outcome before proceeding with building and delivering the data visualisation project.
Throughout the development process, keeping stakeholders engaged is a key priority. At Dufrain, we utilise regular catch-ups to show our clients the progress made, highlighting the trajectory towards meeting their goals in line with the agreed timeline. This ensures that when we deliver visualisations projects, they provide invaluable insights for our clients and aid business development.
Driving data literacy and other benefits
Even non-technical organisations and those that are not yet data-led can benefit from data visualisation, as it provides a wider context to the technicalities of their data. Data visualisation turns complex datasets into clear, understandable information for all stakeholders. This can get even the least data-proficient team members on board the journey to becoming a data-driven organisation, strengthening data literacy across all teams.
With this key understanding of their data, organisations can make more informed decisions, solve problems more agilely and improve their internal processes. By telling the story behind the data, data visualisation evidences the outcomes, providing hindsight on past projects and foresight for amending future processes. This can prove time-saving and avoids errors down the line.
Data visualisation aids memory retention, making team members more likely to remember information when it is presented in a visual format, rather than a standard report. It’s also a more accessible method of data presentation for stakeholders, as the visual format is more engaging in telling the story of an organisation’s data.
Unlock the insights of data visualisation with Dufrain
Great data visualisation is about so much more than fancy graphs. It’s about telling the story behind your data and designing it in a way that is accessible to all stakeholders. As the amount of data produced and processed continues to grow exponentially, it’s proving to be one of the greatest assets to leverage a competitive advantage.
Our expert team is here to help you derive value from your data. We’ll ensure that your organisation has a comprehensive understanding of any weaknesses in your existing business activities and streamline your processes moving forwards.
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Gain a competitive advantage
Get in touch to discuss your data requirements and begin incorporating the expert guidance of Dufrain’s data visualisation services into your processes.
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