The document summarizes a Tableau User Group meeting focused on storytelling best practices for data visualization. It discusses keeping visualizations simple, clear, and efficient. It also covers considerations for audience, layout, color palettes, and appropriate chart and graph types. The meeting included a hands-on training using sales data and an example of a polished baseball ticket sales story point. It concluded with time for questions and discussion.

1. Tableau User Group
Twin Cities | October 7, 2014
Target
Headquarters

2. Twin Cities Tableau User Group
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE STORY
1

3. Introduction
Story Telling Best Practices
- Simplicity
- Clarity
- Efficiency
Discuss Audience, Layout, Color, Charts and Graphs
Introduction to Story Points: Hands on Training with Sales data
Show a Polished Baseball Ticket Sales Story Point
Questions and Discussion
2

4. Introduction
Tricia Duncan
Analytics Consultant
tricia.duncan@relationshipone.com
Direct Line: 763.515.4949
3

5. Story Telling Best Practices
Dashboards
that
Persuad
e,
Inform,
and
Engage
Will…
§ Be easy to read and understand
§ Create actionable insight (moral of the story)
§ Keep in mind if a data visual won’t change how you or
your company behaves, it’s a bad visual.
§ Be more likely to be reused
§ Answer your question within seconds and not a second glance
§ Reflect the truth in the data
K.I.S.S.
Keep it Simple, Stupid.
4

6. Story Telling Best Practices
1. Simplicity
• Understood at a glance
• Think about a Rubik’s Cube
2. Clarity
• Harmony and balance
3. Efficiency
• Minimal complexity
• Maximum ease of use

7. Story
Telling
in
AcEon

8. Story
Telling
in
AcEon
“Thank
you,
Chicago….1. Know your Audience we
love
you!”
2. Think through your Layout
3. Choose an appropriate Color palette
4. Know Graph and Chart best practices

9. Audience
Know your Audience
- What does your audience need to know?
- What do they need to do?
- How can you make the data you want to share
meaningful and memorable?

10. Layout
“OrganizaEon
of
data
is
one
of
the
most
overlooked
pieces
of
designing
a
dashboard.
A
dashboard
with
thoughQul
organizaEon
and
the
right
graphical
views
will
create
a
channel
of
clear
and
rapid
data
discovery.”
-­‐
Jon
Dugger
(2014)

11. Color
DO
THIS
NOT
THIS

12. Color
1. Do not distract from the data
2. Use a neutral color palette
3. Use a limited color palette
- No more than 5
4. Minimize the labor for the end user

13. Charts
and
Graphs

14. IntroducEon
to
Story
Point
Don’t make your audience wait for it.
Don’t make your audience work for it
Let’s Build a Story Point

15. QuesEons
and
Discussion