Data plays a huge part inanalysis and decision making. The availability of data and the best presentation of it allows companies and organizations to make critical decisions. Whether you are a student, analyst, statistician, marketer, or general manager, data presentation is a huge part of your life.
You are often required to present data or information in a neat, clean, and readable format for other people to read;this is especially true if you are a statistician. You need to find ways to better understand the data and the complex relations between that data.
As a result, you will need to present that data in a way which is understandable for non-statisticians, and this is where data graphics come in. Data graphics allow people to present their data in a visually vibrant and interactive format.
A large population of the public doesn’t know or justcan’t decide which data graphics tool or elements to use for their presentation. For this purpose, we have compiled a list of steps you can take to convert your otherwise dull numerical or statistical data into more visually appealing graphics or animated data.
Step 1: Gather Your Data and Compile It
The first step is to collect all your data and then compile it for your graphic presentation. You can organize this information with the use of a database or in the form of an Excel spreadsheet. The format of organization you choose depends on the availability of your resources, thesize of the data, and the relational data between those items.
If you have a relatively small amount of data with data items not exceeding 100 entries, you can easily use a spreadsheet to gather and organize the data before putting it on a graphical display.
Simply create a new Excel spreadsheet and manually enter the data onto the sheet. It is a good idea to use headings for each column or row.
However, if you have a large amount of data and you feel a spreadsheet would not serve the purpose, then it is better to opt for a database. Databases such as MS Access and MySQL allow you to store the data in the form of tables.
It also allows you to create relations between those tables so that your data and tables are meaningful.
Step 2: Know Your Data and Draft Visualization
It is of the utmost importance that you know what the data is about, what it represents, and what viewers and readers can take away from it. Before making the actual infographic, graph, map, bar chart or other data graphics visualization element, however, it is important to know about the data.
For example, you were asked to create the data visualization and were provided with the data that needs to be represented. However,you didn’t compile it yourself. In such a case, you will have to work on asking questions.
Vigorously gather information on the kind of data your client provided you. Make sure you get all the markers and understand what every row, column, and tablerepresent. If the data was provided in the form of a database, ask the provider what each relationship represents. Also, don’t forget to discuss the dynamic of that relationship.
Now, depending on the data available to you, make a draft diagram of the visual representation of that data. This is known as statistical graphics. It can be in the form of images, a scatterplot, a pie chart, a data set, a bar chart, or even a flow chart. Doing this will help you stay focused while browsing through several templates and data graphics representation options to create your final presentation.
Step 3: Summarize the Data and Information about the Data
If you have the data you need, you will make deductions and analyses based on the data. Theanalysis you make is most likely going to be in the form of text or long paragraphs. If you wish to make your infographics readable and short, a good tip is to skim through that information.
Keep only the necessary statistical information. Remember to eliminate any extraneous information. It is also a good idea to compile that information in the form of bullet points or short sentences.
If not, your audience is likely to ignore that information altogether. Doing this will not only save space on the actual infographic illustration, but it will also save your audience the burden of reading the lengthy paragraphs and large blocks of text.
Step 4: Choose a Data Graphic Representation Tool
The most important step is to choose a suitable tool for making an impressive infographic. We recommend you use Canva as it provides a variety of templates, icons, and illustrations to choose from to make your infographic more visually appealing.
It also allows you to upload the data and use graphs, charts, scatter plots, or maps to illustrate that data. You can use modern and visually popping fonts to type down the summarized information as well.
Make sure to follow a color scheme or a general theme throughout the infographic so that it looks homogenous and uniform.
You can use color, shape, size, and font styles to emphasize important information or crucial data indicators. Additionally, you can use dotted or solid lines to show threshold values or boundary data.
Also, remember to use labels and images to make your infographic as readable and as visually appealing as possible.
Step 5: Export Your Infographic
Once all of these steps are complete, save the infographic you created on your local disk. If you were using a free service, you will probably have a logo or watermark on it. Several data graphic representation tools often ask for payment or a monthly subscription to remove their logo from the infographic.
If you can afford to pay the fee, then go for it. Most premium subscriptions also offer other benefits. Otherwise, find another tool that doesn’t add watermarks–there are a few out there).
Conclusion
Data graphic representation tools are a great way to boost viewership and website reach. Using this step-by-step guide, you can be sure that your infographic material will receive a lot of attention. Remember to keep it simple,and people will generally find it more appealing due to its straightforward and minimalistic design.
