Tips for creating effective and attractive data visualization

How can I make your visualizations more interesting, dynamic, and relevant and ensure that they are even more appreciated by different audiences? Whether you are an experienced analyst or a beginner in this topic, these are important questions that you should always ask yourself. Data visualization design services help you tell an exciting story. It also highlights hidden information or details that cannot be found in a spreadsheet, histogram, or pie chart.

Why do you need visualization?

Before getting to the heart of the matter, ask yourself what you want to achieve with visualization, and this will help you better choose which data to include.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Who is my audience?
• What questions does this audience have?
• What answers will I give?
• What message am I trying to convey?
• What other questions will my visualization raise, and what conversations will it contribute to?

When you are ready to be creative, these tips will help you create a more intuitive and engaging visualization that is easier and faster to understand and conveys a clear, relevant, and useful message.

Choose the appropriate graphics

There is no universal visualization solution. Choose the format that best tells your story and answers the important questions that your data raises, while achieving your goal. Sometimes it is useful to combine several graphs to stimulate research and discovery of information that can help in decision-making.

Which formats are the most popular?

1. Histograms are useful for comparing categories by one indicator. This is one of the most commonly used data visualization formats. They are especially effective when your data can be divided into several categories.
2. Bulleted charts allow you to measure progress toward a goal by comparing measurements and are designed to replace pressure gauges and thermometers.
3. A line graph connects different data points to show continuous development. It allows you to visualize the evolution of values in relation to each other in a simple and natural way.
4. Bar charts and box charts highlight clusters of data and allow you to compare categories.
5. Maps are an important tool for visualizing spatial data or facilitating geographical research.
6. Pie charts are useful for adding details to other visualizations, but are not effective enough if used separately.

Choose predictable arrangements

We are beings endowed by nature with visual abilities. We are looking for elements that point to important information. Naturally, we are looking for known patterns. If the information is organized randomly or does not make sense, it will be difficult for us to understand the message conveyed by the visualization.

To take full advantage of these human capabilities, make sure that you present your data in an organized manner and in a format that is understandable to your audience, be it numeric, alphabetical, or sequential structure. A simple example: If you communicate in a language that reads from left to right, you should use the same orientation for visualization to ensure consistency. If you use multiple charts, make sure that they are organized in the same way and the connections between the data are clear. It is not in your interest for the user to get lost trying to follow the information you provide.

Tell stories quickly and use appropriate colors

Color plays an important role. It allows you to convey information without words, but you need to find the right balance, and simplicity is the keyword. Use colors to highlight and emphasize information. If you use too much, you risk getting cacophony. Conversely, if one color or too many shades are used, the information does not stand out well.

The color combination is also important. Use intuitive colors that will make sense to the user, who will be able to process information faster. If you have temperature data, use red to indicate heat and blue to indicate cold. The way you use colors plays a role. Keep consistency in the values and in how you show contrasts in your data.

Integrate contextual suggestions using shapes and visual elements.Context allows you to decipher information at a glance, instead of spending time analyzing the data. Customized custom forms will help make your stories more interesting.

Conclusion

If you use these visualization tips in your business, it will be much easier for you to make significant progress in different areas and departments, because there is nothing more simple and understandable for the human brain than a clear logical demonstration of complex processes.