Module 4: Responsible Data Storytelling
Developing Your Data Visualization
Consider your audience first. Be specific, e.g., students in their first-year of university. Broad terms like “stakeholders” may be appropriate but try to narrow down your audience even further such as employees or patients. If you have multiple stakeholders with a wide variety of interests, that may lend itself to multiple data visualizations.
Questions to ask yourself about your audience include:
- To whom are you communicating?
- What do you want your audience to know or do?
- How can you use data to make your point? (Nussbaumer Knaflic, p 20-21)
When building a good data story, consider the following:
- Keep it relevant. The data should be meaningful to your audience.
- Analyze good quality data from reliable sources.
- Develop a clear narrative.
- Use visuals to augment your story in a compelling way.