2024-12-20 05:00:00
As we close out 2024, we find ourselves doing what’s natural for many of us to do each December, which is to reflect on the journey of the past year—what we’ve learned, the connections we’ve made, and the goals we’ve achieved. At storytelling with data, we’ve been fortunate to see our community thrive in ways that continue to inspire us. You’ve shared your stories, honed your skills, and supported each other as you turned complex data into meaningful, impactful narratives. This shared growth is at the heart of what we do, and we’re endlessly grateful for each and every one of you who has been part of it.
This was also the year we welcomed our first non-human colleague: Daphne, the data-drawing dragon, debuted this fall. She has made the acquaintance of hundreds of young readers and budding dataviz enthusiasts in person at schools, libraries, and bookstores, not to mention the many, many more people she’s met virtually. Rumor has it she’s looking forward to visiting even more folks in 2025. Let us know if you’re interested in bringing Daphne (and maybe Cole as well) to your school in the new year.
The holiday season offers a unique opportunity to pause amidst the hustle of daily life and appreciate what matters most. Like you, our team is looking forward to stepping back, spending quality time with loved ones, and savoring the simple joys that make this time of year special. It’s a chance to recharge, reflect, and make space for the creativity and energy that lie ahead in 2025.
As we say goodbye to 2024, we want to thank you for being a vital part of our journey. Your passion for storytelling and data fuels ours, and we’re excited to see what we can create together in the new year. Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a fresh start filled with possibility and purpose. Happy holidays from all of us at storytelling with data, and we’ll see you in 2025!
2024-12-12 23:05:15
As someone who works at storytelling with data, I'm excited to see the art of storytelling gaining momentum. However, it's crucial to acknowledge a potentially surprising truth: not every dataset, report, or dashboard needs a story.
To assess when a story would be appropriate and useful, it's helpful first to recognize the primary purpose of your communication. Many dashboards and regular reports exist to monitor critical business metrics, providing a comprehensive overview of performance at a glance. Other interactive tools are meant for exploring key indicators and dimensions, allowing users to identify areas that require further investigation.
In these cases, the data supports exploratory analysis rather than explanatory communication. The intent is not to tell a singular message but to provide a framework for discovering multiple potential insights. Designing for story in these situations could actually limit the tool’s effectiveness at ongoing monitoring and exploration.
When you need to explain critical insights to others so they can understand and act on them, a more narrative approach is beneficial. For instance, when you discover valuable insights via your dashboard and need to present them to stakeholders, a data story can help explain the findings, convey the urgency, and inspire action—as the example below demonstrates.
These graphs are used in a university’s quarterly report to communicate where research funds are coming from and how much of it is being spent. The graph and table on the left show quarterly investment by funding source, while the information on the right shows quarterly spending.
Imagine I am a data analyst for the university, and my team generates this report every quarter. While updating the latest numbers, I notice that funding is increasing at a faster pace than spending. Digging into the category details, I find that the largest gap between funding and spending exists within industry-sponsored research. This is an important insight that I want to make sure university leadership is aware of and acts upon to ensure that research budgets are applied most effectively.
Unfortunately, the existing report format does not highlight this finding clearly enough, if at all. Changing the visual could be a solution, but may be challenging for an audience accustomed to the current format. Instead, I decide to create a summary slide (shown below) to place at the beginning of the latest report. This will help keep the existing format intact, but also highlight the opportunity discovered in the data.
Using the prime real estate of the slide title, I quickly summarize the main point with a pithy takeaway. I make comparing the overall funding and spending trends easier by bringing them into the same line chart (on the left), and creating a separate dot plot to display the current breakdown by category (on the right). I also design the graphs to be more straightforward by eliminating clutter and providing emphasis on the key elements I want my audience to see.
You’ll notice that I’ve increased the amount of text on the slide to make the point clear and explicitly mention the recommended action. To make the dense information more scannable, I create two easily discernible sections with heading text in all capital letters. I also want to ensure that it’s easy to navigate between reading and examining the visuals, so I use similar colors in the written text as I do to emphasize the key data points.
Now, imagine I have to present in person to my audience, which provides a unique opportunity to walk them through a story before diving into the data. Since I will be delivering my findings live, the audience’s focus will be on me, so I make my slides more sparse and apply animation to support my talking points. Below is what the final slide progression looks like.
It's important to note that reports and stories aren't mutually exclusive. Rather, they can complement each other quite well. A thoughtfully designed report can serve as the foundation for a data story, providing the critical metrics and visualizations that you can then expand upon in a more narrative format.
The key is to understand your audience and the purpose of your data presentation, then choose the appropriate approach accordingly. Use reporting when you want to provide regular, at-a-glance insights that enable quick decision-making. Turn to storytelling when you need to dive deeper, explain complex findings, or drive specific actions based on your data analysis.
Remember, effective data communication is about more than just showing numbers—it's about making the information meaningful and actionable for your audience. Whether you're using a dashboard report or crafting a data story, always keep your end users in mind and focus on delivering insights that will truly make a difference.
For another example of transitioning from report to data story, watch our exploring and explaining seminar.
Do you want to learn to create and communicate a powerful data story? Join our upcoming 8-week online course: plan, create, and deliver your data story. Data storytellers Amy and Simon will guide you through the world of storytelling with data, teaching a repeatable process to plan in helpful ways (articulating a clear message and distilling critical content to support it), create effective materials (graphs, slides, and presentations), and communicate it all in a way that gets your audience’s attention, builds your credibility, and drives action. Learn more and register today.
2024-12-11 05:49:41
Have you ever opened a package and thought, “Why, on earth, is this so frustrating?!”
Recently, I opened a Barbie doll—a birthday gift my daughter gave to a friend who was visiting—and the experience was anything but delightful. Layers of plastic encased in more plastic, secured by an unnecessary number of ties and bands—it felt more like a battle than the unboxing of a toy. Some ties were nearly impossible to cut without damaging the doll—or myself—in the process!
Frustrating designs like this don’t just apply to packaging. Similar challenges can arise with graphs and slides. Just as overly complicated packaging creates unnecessary effort, poorly designed visuals—cluttered graphs, unclear labels, or confusing layouts—force your audience to work harder than they should to understand your message. When your audience is frustrated, they’re less likely to engage with your data or take action.
In the latest episode of the SWD podcast, I explore the lessons we can learn from everyday objects like Barbie and apply them to our data visualizations. From being intentional with design choices to creating experiences that invite rather than repel, there’s a lot we can take from the world around us to improve how we communicate with data.
What everyday design has caught your attention lately? I’d love to hear your thoughts—share in the comments below or join the conversation in our SWD Community.
Do you want to learn to create and communicate a powerful data story? Join our upcoming 8-week online course: plan, create, and deliver your data story. Data storytellers Amy and Simon will guide you through the world of storytelling with data, teaching a repeatable process to plan in helpful ways (articulating a clear message and distilling critical content to support it), create effective materials (graphs, slides, and presentations), and communicate it all in a way that gets your audience’s attention, builds your credibility, and drives action. Learn more and register today.
2024-11-27 10:00:00
Over time, my focus has expanded from perfecting graphs to exploring broader aspects of effective communication. This shift is reflected in my books, particularly in storytelling with you, where I share a number of preparation tactics I use leading up to an important presentation or speaking event. One of my favorites is “walking preparation”—practicing aloud as I walk around my neighborhood. (It works wonders, though I’m sure my neighbors have questions about why I’m so animated when talking to myself!)
Earlier this week, I was listening to the Huberman Lab Podcast featuring Dr. Andrew Huberman’s conversation with Dr. Ethan Kross. They discussed chatter (official title: How to Control Your Inner Voice & Increase Your Resilience) and how we can harness our inner voice for good. The conversation had an underlying theme of shifting one’s mental state in order to reach goals, which I found fascinating. It reminded me of some of my own prep routines and introduced a new idea that I’m eager to try.
One point they raised was about reciting internally as a way to commit things to memory. This resonated with me because it’s similar to something I already do: I’ll run through a presentation in my head during everyday moments, like while brushing my teeth or waiting for my coffee to brew. I’ve found this sort of low-pressure practice helpful for embedding key messages and transitions into my brain (you’ll hear the gents discuss this starting around 09:30 in the podcast).
The new idea they shared was about using music as a tool for preparation. They explained how music can shift your emotional state, making it an effective way to ready yourself for an important event. Athletes often use this strategy—think of Michael Phelps, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or other athletes you see with headphones on before a big race or game. The right playlist can help create focus, energy, or calm—whatever is most needed in the moment.
While I’ve experienced conferences using music for audience engagement as speakers walk on stage, I hadn’t thought of it as a personal prep tool. As a related aside, my own experience with “walk-on music” is a little cringeworthy: once, at a conference, I stepped on stage to Alicia Keys’ Girl on Fire. I hoped the audience didn’t think I picked the song—it left me feeling a bit like I’d accidentally walked into a cheesy movie montage! It did also cause me to wonder what song I would pick for that walk-on moment if given the choice.
All this has me reflecting on how movement and music—things we might not initially think of as part of “presentation prep”—can actually play an important role. Walking while practicing aloud helps me not only rehearse but also feel physically energized. Music, as I’m now learning, might add another layer of intentionality to how I prepare.
What about you—do you use movement, music, or other unconventional methods to get ready for a big presentation or event? I’d love to hear what works for you. (And if you have any walk-on song suggestions, I’m all ears—ideally something that’s less “on fire!”)
2024-11-25 23:00:00
This article is part of our back-to-basics blog series called what is…?, where we’ll break down some common topics and questions posed to us. We’ve covered much of the content in previous posts, so this series allows us to bring together many disparate resources, creating a single source for your learning. We believe it’s important to take an occasional pulse on foundational knowledge, regardless of where you are in your learning journey. The success of many visualizations is dependent on a solid understanding of basic concepts. So whether you’re learning this for the first time, reading to reinforce core principles, or looking for resources to share with others—like our new comprehensive chart guide—please join us as we revisit and embrace the basics.
A Gantt chart is used to visually present tasks or events over time. It consists of a horizontal axis of time and horizontal bars representing the duration of each item arranged along the vertical axis.
The visual was popularized in the early 1900s by American engineer and management consultant Henry Gantt, for whom the chart is named. Most commonly, this view is used to see the start date and duration of each task in a larger project to better understand timelines, milestones, and dependencies.
To interpret a Gantt chart effectively, start by identifying the time scale along the horizontal axis. Then, scan down the task list on the vertical axis. Observe the length and position of each bar to understand the duration and timing of each activity. Tasks are typically arranged vertically from top to bottom, reflecting their chronological start dates to visually represent project sequence and progression.
Any dependent tasks are usually connected by vertical lines, illustrating how one task's completion directly impacts the start or progression of subsequent tasks to help identify relationships and potential bottlenecks within a project's workflow. In the example above, Test A requires the completion of Task 2.
Take note of any milestones or key dates—usually represented by a shape like a circle or a diamond. In the example above, the go-live date is January 30 and there is a vertical dashed line to indicate the current date for reference.
Gantt charts are particularly useful during the project planning phase, as the detailed visual schedules help managers identify when or where there might be bottlenecks or a need for additional resources. Project managers and teams often refer to Gantt diagrams throughout the project lifecycle to monitor and control progress and assess risks.
Gantt-style charts can be used for more than just project scheduling. The combination Gantt and line chart below was used to show how the evolution of an eLearning system affected employee satisfaction over time. The Gantt elements denoted the timing of certain events (when a survey was deployed when a tagging initiative began, and when courses were split), while the line chart revealed the concurrent positive impact these events had on employee sentiment.
SOURCE: https://community.storytellingwithdata.com/members/alex-velez/gallery/5101035f-d3df-431e-bcdb-ddda87f83c6b/images
Although commonly shown horizontally, a Gantt chart can also be flipped vertically. In the example below, SWD Community member Chris Smith used a vertical Gantt-style visual resume to show their professional experience over time. Since, in the Western world, time is most naturally read moving from left to right, take care when switching the orientation, as it can feel uncomfortable or require a bit of mental gymnastics to understand.
SOURCE: https://community.storytellingwithdata.com/challenges/aug-2021/inspired-by-coles-book-acknowledgement-section
However useful Gantt charts are in theory, there are drawbacks to relying on them in practice. They can become complex and cluttered for very large projects, may require frequent updates in fast-paced environments, and don't always capture the full complexity of task relationships. Creating and maintaining Gantt charts manually can be challenging and time-consuming.
While project teams often use Gantt charts, not everyone understands how to interpret them accurately or quickly. Consider your audience's background and potential learning curve when selecting this visualization. Choosing a different display altogether may avoid confusion for audiences who do not know this graph or how to interpret the information it depicts.
To make a Gantt chart more accessible and engaging in a presentation, use animation to build the chart gradually. First, walk your audience through the structure to explain the timeline and tasks, then layer on each horizontal bar in a meaningful way to communicatey our message. By breaking down the Gantt chart's complexity and guiding your audience through its components, you'll help them understand the project timeline more effectively.
Some graphing applications, like Excel or Tableau, have built-in templates to help you create a Gantt chart. If your tool of choice lacks this capability, you can still build one using a combination of a horizontal bar chart to show the task duration and a dot plot to depict milestones.
There are also software packages that focus specifically on task or project management. Tools like Microsoft Project, Asana, Trello, and Smartsheet not only have Gantt templates built in but also offer additional features like collaboration and automated updates, making it easier to create and maintain accurate charts throughout the project lifecycle.
To create effective Gantt charts, consider the following design tips:
Choose an appropriate time scale (days, weeks, months) based on the duration. Keep in mind that providing too granular of a view could overcomplicate the visual.
Limit your color palette to reduce visual complexity. Use color strategically to focus on specific aspects, like the critical path or milestones at risk.
Add meaningful context, like key milestones and a current date reference line, to enhance the chart's utility.
Simplify the view by removing extraneous elements, like borders and gridlines, to make it easier to consume.
In summary, Gantt charts are invaluable tools for visualizing project tasks across a timeline. However, before using them to communicate your project’s progress, assess your audience's familiarity with this chart type and the specific insights you wish to convey to ensure the visual fits the purpose.
To further enhance your understanding of various graph types, we invite you to explore the rest of our “What Is...?” chart series. Explore our comprehensive chart guide page for additional views, like bars and lines.
Do you want to learn to create and communicate a powerful data story? Join our upcoming 8-week online course: plan, create, and deliver your data story. Data storytellers Amy and Simon will guide you through the world of storytelling with data, teaching a repeatable process to plan in helpful ways (articulating a clear message and distilling critical content to support it), create effective materials (graphs, slides, and presentations), and communicate it all in a way that gets your audience’s attention, builds your credibility, and drives action. Learn more and register today.
2024-11-14 05:20:20
Reflecting on my early days at Google, I recall a project that involved analyzing thousands of free-text comments from our internal survey, Googlegeist. The task was straightforward in concept: distill this qualitative data into actionable insights by identifying common themes, categorizing feedback, and quantifying sentiments. But in practice, it was a tedious and time-consuming process, taking countless hours to produce anything meaningful. At the time, we didn’t have effective tools for this. There were options, but they were often clunky, lacked the nuance required to understand context, and frequently missed the mark on detecting tone and sentiment accurately.
Fast forward to today, and the tools for qualitative analysis have come a long way, largely due to advancements in artificial intelligence and sophisticated natural language models. I’m often asked about AI's role in data storytelling and whether and in what instances it can replace human judgment. The answer isn’t black-and-white; AI isn’t a perfect solution, nor does it eliminate the need for human insight. However, it has advanced enough to solve challenges that seemed insurmountable in the past—for example, in the realm of qualitative analysis.
Recently, I saw a demo of a tool created by a friend of mine—also a former Googler—who founded a company called Insight7. As he walked my team at storytelling with data through the tool’s capabilities, I found myself thinking back to that early Google project and how much time it could have saved me. Insight7’s tool automatically categorizes and analyzes text, drawing out themes and insights in seconds. What struck me wasn’t just the speed, but the quality of the analysis. It was a reminder that as the technology around us evolves, so should our openness to exploring new possibilities. Tools like this can augment our work, help us uncover insights we might have missed, and ultimately free us to focus on what we do best—crafting stories and building understanding.
It’s easy to hold onto previous beliefs about what’s possible, especially when we’ve experienced the frustrations of earlier versions. For me, one example is my long-held view of pie charts as suboptimal for most data storytelling purposes. But I’ve found that staying open to revisiting these beliefs keeps me open to innovation (sometimes, to using even pie charts in the right context!). In the same way, we may hold outdated beliefs about AI’s capabilities, but if we remain curious, we’ll be better positioned to make use of advancements that are made.
As data storytelling and analysis in the age of AI continue to evolve, let’s not be limited by past assumptions. Who knows what new possibilities might emerge if we stay open to tools and ideas that can help us tell even richer, more compelling stories with data?
If you’re curious to explore Insight7, they’ve just launched new product features, and my friend has offered a special discount for SWD readers. Use the code SWD40 at Insight7.io to get 40% off all paid plans through November 15. If you work with qualitative data—or have been hesitant due to the time investment involved—this tool could be worth a look.