Has anyone handed you their data, only to find it’s filled with never-ending charts? This isn’t data analysis. Data compilation? Sure, but not analysis. Ten people can look at the same dataset and have ten different takeaways. The key here is to do the work of analyzing the data and identifying trends and themes. You should have clarity about the questions you are asking and why they will matter for the way your agency does business. Look at your data through that lens. Listen to your data and tell its story. Don’t simply compile it and leave the storytelling to each reader.
It might seem petty to admit, but the same information presented in a hand-drawn graph is perceived differently when presented with slick data visualizations. There is an entire field of experts thinking creatively about how to present data in a way that our brains can digest. This “data visualization” matters for how we understand data and how seriously we take it.
Invest the time in making your data look good. See Evergreen Data and Depict Data Studio for some excellent data visualization resources. Enter your email below, to access a PowerPoint template you can input your data into!