Often when we think of sharing information through data, we hear “the numbers speak for themselves.” As designers and consumers of data, we all know that this is rarely the case. Representing data through clear storytelling and visualization is essential for effectively communicating insights and information. By combining the power of narrative and visuals, you can make complex data more understandable, memorable, and actionable for people.
To successfully tell the story behind your data and insights, we suggest incorporating the following elements into your storytelling and visualization:
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- Audience: Tailor your narrative, considering your audience’s level of familiarity and preferences for data presentation.
- Narrative Flow: Arrange your data and insights in a logical sequence that guides your audience through the information.
- Real-World Examples: Use anecdotes to help illustrate the data and keep it relatable.
- Simplicity: Structure your data in such a way as to lay the foundation for the visualization and interpretation to come.
- Context: Explain the thinking behind the data gathered, the time period it covers, and relevant background.
- Emphasis: Highlight the most important insights that support your conclusions.
- Interactivity: Provide your audience with the ability to explore the data, so they can draw their own conclusions.
- Transparency: Ensure that your data is ethically sourced, relevant, and accurate.
Let’s explore how this concept comes to life through a simple fable illustrating the powerful role that strong storytelling and compelling data visualization can play.
Goldi Lex and her Three Colleagues
Once upon a time, in a cozy company nestled on planet Earth, worked three colleagues. They had a lovely team and enjoyed their busy days together working on projects. One day, the three colleagues decided to upload their project content on a shared server; while the data was uploading, they left for a coffee break. Little did they know that a curious coworker named Goldi Lex was looking to uncover some interesting insights on this project. (Narrative Flow + Audience)
Goldi found the project folder on the shared server, decided that it might help her, and clicked the folder open. In it, she found three separate folders: The data, the visualizations, and the insights that told the story of each. (Real-World Example)
She started with the data folder… (Simplicity)
First, she opened a file containing raw data. This file was incredibly complex with multiple pivot tables and reams of sheets, seemingly impossible to decipher. Goldi spent a few minutes exploring but her eyes started to hurt, and she quickly gave up. (Context)
She opened a second data file that was almost completely devoid of logic, let alone having tools to manipulate or visualize threads in it. Poorly organized, it was quickly evident to Goldi that there was not a clear problem statement developed prior to gathering the information. It was roughly as insightful as a bowl of vanilla pudding. (Emphasis)
She opened a third data file that was just right: the raw data was collected in such a way as to provide proper context and prepare it for interpretation. There was a clear introduction and points of emphasis were called out to further explore. Goldi dove into this dataset and started reviewing it, admiring its thoroughness and thoughtfulness.
She then proceeded to the second folder, the visualization folder …
In the first document Goldi opened, she found a series of interconnected graphics and tables that regurgitated the complicated datasets with very little perspective on how that data should be interpreted. Goldi tried her best to penetrate the impenetrable, but soon gave up. (Interactivity)
In the next document, she found a drab series of bar and pie charts that made a lukewarm attempt at providing a visual depiction; Goldi had a hard time understanding what they meant or to what conclusions the data was leading.
In the third document, she found a tool to dive deeper into the data itself, allowing Goldi to make comparisons between aspects of the data. This surprised and delighted her, and she spent a few minutes exploring the tool and marveling at how comfortable she felt manipulating the data.
Finally, Goldi looked in the third folder, which started to tell the story behind the data and insights gathered. Reflecting on what she had explored, she recalled:
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- The clear data file that captured context and strong points of emphasis
- The cool tool that provided visual comparison and highlighted the key insights surfaced in the data.
Goldi realized that the combination of the two is the “just right” equation to bring the story to life. And she did just that! (Transparency)
When her colleagues returned, they opened the project folders and realized, “Someone has been looking in our files.” And Goldi Lex said, “Yes, it was me!” She shared that, through her exploration, she discovered that proper data collection, visualization, and interpretation really make a difference in getting the story “just right” to ensure successful outcomes.
They thanked her for her efforts and leveraged the wonderful work she did by sharing it with the broader organization. Not only was the message well received; more employees began using visualizations to help people access and explore data and to ask new, better-informed questions. Rather than using the team’s data visualizations to draw definitive conclusions, now employees were thinking critically about what the visualizations are conveying.
And all three colleagues lived happily ever after.
The moral of this story: By sharing data in a compelling story with strong visuals that authentically convey the information in actionable ways, we provide the needed context to educate, engage, and empower audiences to act in a powerful and compelling way!
Author Bios
Beth Cavanaugh has more than 35 years of strategic marketing and branding experience leading teams and partnering with clients in diverse industries to optimize performance. Through communication and collaboration, the right questions can be asked, learnings can surface, connections can be made, and solutions developed. Beth is passionate about finding new ways to identify needs and desires effectively and efficiently, and subsequently develop, drive, and deliver the needed solutions.
Mark VanderKlipp is an experience and systems designer, facilitator, and writer with more than 35 years of experience working in human-centered graphic design. He’s committed to using design to clarify information and elevate the voices of those with the least amount of power in a given system. Incorporating human-centered design into every interaction assures that team members can deliver the best possible customer experience.
