Objectives

Data professionals spend a huge amount of time exploring, processing, and analyzing their data. Managers and executives utilize these to make or drive data based decisions. However, even with highly impactful insights, it is challenging to make sure the message clearly gets across, the more so when communication takes place with busy decision makers. In this workshop we will see how data storytelling can be leveraged to make sure the right message is efficiently conveyed, such that the results of the hard work stand out.

In the first part of the workshop, we will discuss data stories, and their components: the concept – the message we want to convey, and the perception – the presentation of the data backing the message. Then, we will dive deeper into best practices of visualizing data, relying on well-established guidelines and principles.

The second part is hands-on oriented. First we apply the aforementioned best practices to various visualizations in groups and discuss the results of the transformation. Then, we present visual means of drawing attention to specific aspects in the visualization (e.g., by utilizing the Gestalt Principles of visual perception), and apply these to learn how to create a data story.