Once you have collected data and made your analysis, it is time to present it in such a way so that decision-makers can deduce patterns and make decisions out of their findings. Unfortunately, many businesses do not give data visualization a second thought. And truthfully, it may be the reason why decision-makers are not getting insights from their business intelligence efforts. Below are some ways to determine the best visualization for different types of data.
What is the Story Behind the Visualization?
A story built with data is a powerful tool as it puts metrics and stats in a context that everyone else can understand. Therefore, it is important to determine the kind of message that you wish to convey to your audience. Do you want to show relationships? Are you distributing data over a time period, comparing datasets or showing composition?
Visualization Techniques when Demonstrating Data Composition
When you need to show data composition, you will want to show how each sector or segment makes up the whole of your available data. In this case, you need visualization types that do not dilute the overall message. Some of the most effective visualizations in this case include stacked charts, waterfall charts, pie charts and map-based graphs for geo-data.
Visualizations When Comparing Two or More Data Sets
If you have more than a single data set or trend, you need a technique that allows you to visualize each trend independently and compare the data set with other types of data. Some of the choices include spider charts, columned visualization, scatter plots, bubble charts and bar charts.
Are You Just Looking at a Particular Trend Over a Period?
If your trend or data set is to be calibrated over a given period, you should consider a visualization type that connects data within points in time. Some of the most common visualization techniques that fit here include column charts, line charts and area charts.
What are the Capabilities of your Analytics System?
Different systems have varying capabilities depending on the data types and the people you want to reach. For example, you may consider a solution that allows you to incorporate animated charts in your dashboard and to leverage data-driven documents. The use of the JavaScript code in such applications allows for interactivity and animation, thereby offering better insights to your team.
On the other hand, you may pick cloud business intelligence solutions that allow you to analyze and present data to your teams in various locations with great improved ease. In fact, the type of data analysis methods and visualizations available should inform your choice of such software.
Data Visualization is Key to Interpretation
How you present your data to decision-makers determines the kind of insight they get from your analysis. Badly presented data results in confusion and possible business mistakes. Try to look for a method that offers the easiest way to interpret data. This prevents your team from making wrong inferences or from failing to connect the results with the issues at hand. Finally, you can also consider using technology tools to visualize complex data sets.