By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    AI analytics
    AI-Based Analytics Are Changing the Future of Credit Cards
    6 Min Read
    data overload showing data analytics
    How Does Next-Gen SIEM Prevent Data Overload For Security Analysts?
    8 Min Read
    hire a marketing agency with a background in data analytics
    5 Reasons to Hire a Marketing Agency that Knows Data Analytics
    7 Min Read
    predictive analytics for amazon pricing
    Using Predictive Analytics to Get the Best Deals on Amazon
    8 Min Read
    data science anayst
    Growing Demand for Data Science & Data Analyst Roles
    6 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Design for Information
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
Aa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Big Data > Data Visualization > Design for Information
Data Visualization

Design for Information

Editor SDC
Last updated: 2009/08/04 at 7:30 PM
Editor SDC
4 Min Read
SHARE

All to often reports are designed to provide data, not information.  There are charts and tables with little intrepretation, or description.  While I am not great fan of PowerPoint, it can often make up for Enterprise BI limitations.  We can call out certain areas within the charts and graphs, as well as add the commentary to help us communicate our point.

A safe assumption is that the person reading the report will not have the same understanding of the material as the report designer, or analyst.  It is then our job to make sure that the report communicates the point clearly.  The last thing you want is to hear “what are you trying to show me?”

Below is a good example of presenting data, while not telling us much.  Here we see that he/she has a few fans that are frequent contributors, and that tweet volume picks up around the lunch hour.  There is not variation for the days of the week, with a little drop off for the weekend.  August is also the most popular month.

More Read

data-driven approach in healthcare

The Importance of Data-Driven Approaches to Improving Healthcare in Rural Areas

Automotive Industry Uses Analytics To Solve Pressing Supply Chain Issues
How can CIOs Build Business Value with Business Analytics?
Seven Benefits of Using AI to Perform Text Analysis
7 Data Lineage Tool Tips For Preventing Human Error in Data Processing

twitter2008-1

What would be helpful to know is why this data is important to us.  What perhaps would be the most important is to know the subject material, so we could do things like tweet just before lunch as that seems to be the …

All to often reports are designed to provide data, not information.  There are charts and tables with little intrepretation, or description.  While I am not great fan of PowerPoint, it can often make up for Enterprise BI limitations.  We can call out certain areas within the charts and graphs, as well as add the commentary to help us communicate our point.

A safe assumption is that the person reading the report will not have the same understanding of the material as the report designer, or analyst.  It is then our job to make sure that the report communicates the point clearly.  The last thing you want is to hear “what are you trying to show me?”

Below is a good example of presenting data, while not telling us much.  Here we see that he/she has a few fans that are frequent contributors, and that tweet volume picks up around the lunch hour.  There is not variation for the days of the week, with a little drop off for the weekend.  August is also the most popular month.

twitter2008-1

What would be helpful to know is why this data is important to us.  What perhaps would be the most important is to know the subject material, so we could do things like tweet just before lunch as that seems to be the most popular time to inspire reaction.  Or that August tweets were up due to an embarassing grammatical error.

As we are designing reports, make sure that the information has a purpose.  Most specifically, know the audience and know the potential actions the information is going to inspire.

Posted in Analytics, Analytics & Business Intelligence, Communication Tagged: Actionable Information, Analytics, Business Intelligence, Clarity, Report Design


Link to original post

TAGGED: analytics, graphs
Editor SDC August 4, 2009
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn
Share

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

Data Ethics: Safeguarding Privacy and Ensuring Responsible Data Practices
Data Ethics: Safeguarding Privacy and Ensuring Responsible Data Practices
Best Practices Big Data Data Collection Data Management Privacy
data protection for SMEs
8 Crucial Tips to Help SMEs Guard Against Data Breaches
Data Management
How AI is Boosting the Customer Support Game
How AI is Boosting the Customer Support Game
Artificial Intelligence
AI analytics
AI-Based Analytics Are Changing the Future of Credit Cards
Analytics Artificial Intelligence Exclusive

Stay Connected

1.2k Followers Like
33.7k Followers Follow
222 Followers Pin

You Might also Like

data-driven approach in healthcare
Analytics

The Importance of Data-Driven Approaches to Improving Healthcare in Rural Areas

6 Min Read
supply chain analytics
Analytics

Automotive Industry Uses Analytics To Solve Pressing Supply Chain Issues

6 Min Read
Analytics

How can CIOs Build Business Value with Business Analytics?

8 Min Read
text analytics
Text Analytics

Seven Benefits of Using AI to Perform Text Analysis

9 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

ai in ecommerce
Artificial Intelligence for eCommerce: A Closer Look
Artificial Intelligence
giveaway chatbots
How To Get An Award Winning Giveaway Bot
Big Data Chatbots Exclusive

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?