Bianca Visagie
26 October 2023
The importance of having access to and understanding data has never been greater than it is today. Data is essential for making decisions, forecasting trends, and driving innovation. Companies use data to inform their strategies and ensure that they are staying ahead of the competition. That’s why it’s more important than ever for employees and business owners at every level to understand data.
That’s where data visualisation comes in. By using dashboards as a form of data visualisation, data becomes more accessible and understandable for businesses.
What is Data Visualisation?
The purpose of data visualisation is to present information graphically so viewers can quickly recognize patterns and trends. Poring through various sets of numbers and data can be tedious and mentally exhausting. Data visualisation aims to eliminate this by providing an easy-to-understand visual representation of the data.
When done right, data visualisation leads to better and faster decisions. As a result, more innovative business investments are likely to produce more substantial returns on investment.
The Human Brain & Visual Information
The idea of presenting information visually has been around for a long time. It takes the brain only a few hundred milliseconds to process visual information, compared to the seconds it takes to process numbers or text. That means that looking at visual data reduces our mental load, making it easier to understand and analyse data. This is only one of the many benefits of data visualisation.
What are the Benefits of Data Visualisation?
Improved Data Understanding
- Transforms complex datasets into digestible visuals.
- Makes trends, patterns, and outliers more apparent.
Faster Decision Making
- Visuals provide quicker insights.
- Allows your company to react swiftly to market changes.
Enhanced Memory Retention
- Visuals are more memorable than boring spreadsheets
- Visual data tells a story, making information memorable through narrative context.
Accessibility and Engagement
- An engaging visual presentation allows viewers to relate to data more easily.
- Interactive visualisations build more credibility around the data.
Improved Data Storytelling
- Animated visualisations can showcase data progression over time, giving life to static numbers.
- Strategic colour palettes and designs can evoke specific emotions, adding depth to the data’s story.
What are the Principles of Effective Data Visualisation?
Now that we know the importance and benefits of data visualisation, we need to look at how to effectively present data.
- Simplicity: It’s important to have a clear and focused message when presenting your data. Don’t use overcomplicated visuals.
- Accuracy: Make sure the visuals you use represent the data accurately. Avoid things like misrepresentative scales and omitted data points.
- Interactivity: Make use of modern data visualisation tools to create interactive dashboards that viewers can understand and easily use.
- Aesthetics and Design: Consider the role of colour, font, and layout in your data visuals, and how they might be used to effectively convey your message.
Data Visualisation at Integrove
At Integrove, we recognise the pivotal role of data visualisation in transforming raw information into actionable insights.
Our team boasts a diverse pool of experts, including seasoned data analysts, data engineers, and data scientists, each bringing a wealth of experience from various sectors.
Our collective expertise ensures that we deliver not just visual data, but clear, comprehensible stories that drive decision-making and strategic actions.
Contact us today for data visualisation tailored to your unique needs!