book

Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals

by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic

November 2015

Beginner to intermediate

288 pages

5h 43m

English

Wiley

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Bad graphs are everywhereWe aren’t naturally good at storytelling with dataWho this book is written forHow I learned to tell stories with dataHow you’ll learn to tell stories with data: 6 lessonsIllustrative examples span many industriesLessons are not tool specificHow this book is organized
Exploratory vs. explanatory analysisWho, what, and howWhoWhatHowWho, what, and how: illustrated by exampleConsulting for context: questions to askThe 3-minute story & Big IdeaStoryboardingIn closing
Simple textTablesGraphsPointsLinesBarsAreaOther types of graphsTo be avoidedIn closing
Cognitive loadClutterGestalt principles of visual perceptionLack of visual orderNon-strategic use of contrastDecluttering: step-by-stepIn closing
You see with your brainA brief lesson on memoryPreattentive attributes signal where to lookSizeColorPosition on pageIn closing
AffordancesAccessibilityAestheticsAcceptanceIn closing
Model visual #1: line graphModel visual #2: annotated line graph with forecastModel visual #3: 100% stacked barsModel visual #4: leveraging positive and negative stacked barsModel visual #5: horizontal stacked barsIn closing

The magic of storyConstructing the storyThe narrative structureThe power of repetitionTactics to help ensure that your story is clearIn closing
Lesson 1: understand the contextLesson 2: choose an appropriate displayLesson 3: eliminate clutterLesson 4: draw attention where you want your audience to focusLesson 5: think like a designerLesson 6: tell a storyIn closing
CASE STUDY 1: Color considerations with a dark backgroundCASE STUDY 2: Leveraging animation in the visuals you presentCASE STUDY 3: Logic in orderCASE STUDY 4: Strategies for avoiding the spaghetti graphCASE STUDY 5: Alternatives to piesIn closing
Where to go from hereBuilding storytelling with data competency in your team or organizationRecap: a quick look at all we’ve learnedIn closing

Content preview from Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals

chapter 5 think like a designer

Form follows function. This adage of product design has clear application to communicating with data. When it comes to the form and function of our data visualizations, we first want to think about what it is we want our audience to be able to do with the data (function) and then create a visualization (form) that will allow for this with ease. In this chapter, we will discuss how traditional design concepts can be applied to communicating with data. We will explore affordances, accessibility, and aesthetics, drawing on a number of concepts introduced previously, but looking at them through a slightly different lens. We will also discuss strategies for gaining audience acceptance of your visual designs.

Designers know the fundamentals of good design but also how to trust their eye. You may think to yourself, But I’m not a designer! Stop thinking this way. You can recognize smart design. By becoming familiar with some common aspects and examples of great design, we will instill confidence in your visual instincts and learn some concrete tips to follow and adjustments to make when things don’t feel quite right.

Affordances

In the field of design, experts speak of objects having “affordances.” These are aspects inherent to the design that make it obvious how the product is to be used. For example, a knob affords turning, a button affords pushing, and a cord affords pulling. These characteristics suggest how the object is to be interacted with ...