Do you create data dashboards, but don’t know how best to tell their story? Is there a gap between what you want your users to do with your dashboards and how they currently use them? Does it sometimes feel overwhelming to try to design for multiple audiences at once? In this 90-minute webinar, I shared: -simple techniques to better understand your data audiences. -tips on how to embed data storytelling into your dashboards -ways to frame data to increase user engagement. -narrative approaches to reach multiple audiences at once

1. Using Audience Insights
and Storytelling to Improve
Data Dashboard Design
Prof Anna Feigenbaum
Professor in Digital Storytelling
Bournemouth University
@drfigtree
@SHDCresearch
*All art in this presentation is by our design
partners Alexandra Alberda and Minute Works
unless otherwise referenced

2. https://www.routledge.com/The-Data-
Storytelling-Workbook-1st-
Edition/Feigenbaum-
Alamalhodaei/p/book/9781138052116
Discount code until end of year
EFL03

3. LINK TO REGISTERINTEREST
https://forms.office.com/e/ZXMfEzyi
FURTHER CPD INFO
https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/bu-
uhd-data-digital-leadership-cpds
BU’s Data & Digital Leadership
CPDs

4. DATA STORYTELLING - Our Definition
“Data stories are intentional communicative artefacts that
present data in an interesting, evocative, and informative
way…
We are not after the best spin or selling points. Rather, our
aim is to focus on the human elements of what is in a dataset
in order to be able to more clearly pinpoint what is at stake,
and to communicate it effectively and empathetically to our
audiences.”
-Feigenbaum and Alamalhodaei, 2020

5. Your 3 Biggest Dashboard Design Challenges
Menti link
https://www.menti.com/alis5qqph9xx
The code 8343 0178
(set to follow atyourown pace,you can jump aheador
waituntil the corresponding partof the presentation)

6. AGENDA
1. The 5Ws of Data Storytelling
2. The 5 Levels of Data Literacy
3. Break
4. The Four Pillars of Visual Data
Storytelling
5. Wrap up / Q&A

7. The Five Ws of Data Storytelling
The 5Ws asks us to think about data from a people-centred perspective by
answering five basic questions. These questions help capture the stories a
dataset or data dashboard is telling.
● Who is this information about?
● What does this information tell us about these people (or objects,
animals, etc.)?
● Where does this information matter?
● When does this information refer to?
● Why should your target audience care?

8. The Five Ws of Data Storytelling
Who is this information about?
Think through the people (or objects, animals, etc.) that the numbers represent. Can you describe what a few
of them might be like and how they’ve come to be a part of this dataset?
What does this information tell us about these people, objects, animals, etc.?
Think about the differences between 'data', 'information' and 'knowledge'. How would this dataset help us
move from information to knowledge?
Where does this information matter?
Write down both the geographical location the data may refer to, as well as some of the wards, departments,
programmes, etc that might be users of this data.
When does this information refer to?
What is the time period of the data collection? (If it is predictive, what period does it cover?) What other
changes or major events might be relevant during this time?
Why should your target audience care?
This should capture the storytelling or narrative elements of the data. How is the presentation of the data
framed? If it is already in a report, are their recommendations? Statements about quality or evaluation? What
would you say is the perspective (or standpoint) of the authors presenting the data?

9. The Five Ws of Data Storytelling
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-Gallery/Analyzing-the-UN-s-
Sustainable-Development-Goals-at-Gartner-Data/td-p/2527235
Have a go in the Teams chat
at identifying the 5Ws using
this Power BI data dashboard
Who is this information about?
What does this information tell us
about these people, objects, animals,
etc.?
Where does this information matter?
When does this information refer to?
Why should your target audience
care?

10. FIVE LEVELS OF DATA LITERACY
Adapted by AnnaFeigenbaumfrom fromDellExecutive strategistJim Stikeleather five audience segments for business
medical language
vs
managerial language
vs
people-centric language

11. FIVE LEVELS OF DATA LITERACY
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-Gallery/Analyzing-the-
UN-s-Sustainable-Development-Goals-at-Gartner-Data/td-p/2527235

12. FIVE LEVELS OF DATA LITERACY
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-Gallery/Global-
Health-Security-funds-and-support-available-in-Health/td-p/1332206

13. FIVE LEVELS OF DATA LITERACY
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-Gallery/Customer-
Sentiment-Analysis-of-Waterway-Values-using-MapBox-and/td-p/900267

14. Meeting your Audience Halfway
● A good data storyteller needs to know their audience and adjust
accordingly.
● Understanding what each of your audience segments wants in terms of
data complexity and narrative delivery can help you buildyour dashboards
more effectively and efficiently.
● It might be that you need to present the same finding in different ways. As
long as you are clear on the key messages, this kind of tailoring becomes
easier to do over time.

15. → What are some methods you already use, or know
about, to help tell data stories to different audiences?
Share in the Teams chat some of the methods you are already using, or are
keen to try out. Some examples include:
-Creating user personas
-Mapping user journeys
-Using ‘ThinkingAloud’ and screen record methods to test real life user
practices
-Creating different tabs for different user groups
-Using drill downs to add layers of narratives/dataaccess

16. 5 Minute Comfort Break

17. FOUR PILLARS OF
VISUAL DATA STORYTELLING

18. Symbols should be
resonant and
relevant to your
audiences
SYMBOL
Diabetes Icons
http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/illustration/diabetes-mellitus-icons-royalty-
free-illustration/472802068?esource=SEO_GIS_CDN_Redirect

19. RESONANT & RELEVANT

20. Symbols shouldbe resonantand
relevant to your audiences
How do these graphics represent:
-gender?
-race?
-age?
-sickness or disease?
- good and bad behaviour?
SYMBOL
Diabetes Icons
http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/illustration/diabetes-mellitus-icons-royalty-
free-illustration/472802068?esource=SEO_GIS_CDN_Redirect

21. RESONANT & RELEVANT
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-Gallery/Customer-
Sentiment-Analysis-of-Waterway-Values-using-MapBox-and/td-p/900267

22. COLOR

23. USING COLOR TO TELL YOUR STORY
Highlight colour
to show significance
Contrast colour
to show difference
Gradiate colour
to show scale

24. RESONANT & RELEVANT

25. Thinking about how GRADIENT COLOUR can be used to
HIGHLIGHT and CONTRAST, what is different in these two
dashboards uses of colour?

26. CAPTIONS
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-Gallery/Analyzing-the-UN-s-Sustainable-Development-
Goals-at-Gartner-Data/td-p/2527235
Data visualisations
are ‘polysemic’ –
having many or
multiplepossible
meanings. Captions
work as ‘anchors’
helping to fix the
meaning of an image
in place.

27. What anchors meaning on this dashboard?
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-Gallery/Analyzing-the-
UN-s-Sustainable-Development-Goals-at-Gartner-Data/td-p/2527235

28. https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-Gallery/Customer-
Sentiment-Analysis-of-Waterway-Values-using-MapBox-and/td-p/900267
What anchors meaning on this dashboard?

29. What anchors meaning on this dashboard?
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-Gallery/Global-
Health-Security-funds-and-support-available-in-Health/td-p/1332206

30. EDITORIAL

31. EDITORIAL

32. EDITORIAL - NARRATIVE GENRES
Segel andHeer2010

33. Editorial - What genres?
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-
Gallery/Data-analysis-of-fast-food-market/td-p/2617085

34. Editorial - What genres
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-
Gallery/Daily-Habits/td-p/1523525

35. Editorial - What genres?
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Stories-Gallery/NFL-
Fantasy-Football-Player-Comparison-Tool/td-p/241700

36. THE FOUR PILLARS
putting it all together

37. Wrap up / Q&A
Thank you for taking part!

38. Discount code until end of year
EFL03
LINK TO REGISTERINTEREST
https://forms.office.com/e/ZXMfEzyi
FURTHER CPD INFO
https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/bu-
uhd-data-digital-leadership-cpds
Prof Anna
Feigenbaum
@drfigtree
@SHDCresearc
h