Learn everything about data visualization

Data visualization has been around for ages, from times when humans used drawings in caves as a form of communication until nowadays, when marketers use it for decision-making.

Visualizing shapes and forms and coming to georgia phone number data conclusions is how we operate when we look at something. Thus, data visualization is a very natural process.

Nevertheless, there is a long path to track if we want to understand how we got from drawings to dashboards. In the meantime, we can reflect on why data visualization is so important and how it works.

By doing that, we get the importance of visuals, as well as switching from static and tiresome methods of messaging to dynamic communication everything about  that is impossible to ignore.

Data visualization has become a central idea in current marketing practices, so keep tuned if you want to know more about the following questions:

What is data visualization?

Data visualization consists of representing data graphically. Think about a set of stats, such as the results of extensive research. If you choose to publish it in a written form, it would surely be readable. However, understanding all the information would consume a lot of time and effort from readers.

Also, a lot of words distributed in long paragraphs could be overwhelming and confusing to read. People may have a hard time trying to figure europe email out what’s the main message, and the researchers would have trouble getting the point across all those words.

For example, people may have a hard everything about   time to understand the effects of smoking on the body. But an infographic can convey such a message with ease. Check this one:

Instead, if you choose a graphic representation, you would use images to express those trends. Charts and graphs, for instance. That’s data visualization, and it works because it allows people to see data differently, catching not only the information but also precise details and new patterns in between.

When we address this topic, we are talking about visual literacy. The process that involves our interpretation of an image is fascinating, so we take advantage of that to improve the understanding of data.

First, we start analyzing shapes and objects, establishing the limits between forms in our minds. Then, we think of something we’ve seen before. Later on, those random shapes get a name in our mind, which means the analysis is complete. Looking at charts requires pretty much the same processing.

Visual metaphor

It all works based on something called a visual metaphor. Just like a regular metaphor, those tools allow us to internalize the concepts of everything about  something by comparing it to some shape we’ve already seen. A pie chart, for example, alludes to the idea of a pie to represent a part-to-whole relationship. It’s not a real pie, but a representation of one.

We already know what a pie is and that slices are independent and can be of any particular size. So, we instantly recognize a chart and understand what it means. It tells the story effortlessly, in a way that feels as natural as possible.

Enterprises can use data visualization to summarize a database in dashboards. By using that tool, managers can see trends, patterns, and insights to make better decisions. Marketers can employ it to study campaigns and customer data to improve their work.

What is the history of data visualization?

As we know, data visualization has been around for a very long time. So, let’s go through that. Back in the 18th century, a statistician named William Playfair had invented the forms we are using so frequently today. He’s the creator of the line chart, the bar chart, the already mentioned pie chart, as well as the circle chart.

During the 19th century, one of the best examples that pop up is John Snow’s chart. He mapped the cholera outbreak back in 1854. But, before that, in 1812, Charles Joseph Minard mapped the Napoleon’s March to Russia, representing his journey on a graph with different features such as temperature and number of soldiers remaining in each place.

Everything started to change when the industrial revolution happened, and people began using stats for commercial reasons as well. Later on, computers came into the picture. Then, statisticians could finally access tons of information quickly. Also, they discovered the power to process large datasets and create stats based on that.

That’s what brought us here. Nowadays, we have intuitive and interactive dashboards. Charts are telling stories everywhere and, without any doubt, stand as the most effective mean to represent the massive amount of data we deal with.

What are the benefits of good data visualization?

Now, let’s look at some benefits of data visualization.

More attention to detail

As already implied, when we use visuals, we can pay a lot more attention to detail than in the traditional way. After all, there are images, trends, shapes, and patterns — a whole universe in front of our eyes. To learn more, all you need is to zoom in to drill down into more insights. Therefore, you’re able to see information from a different perspective.

Emotional response

Images are emotionally attractive. People are more likely to provide a passionate reaction to a picture than to a set of words. Charts and visual storytelling talk to us in a way that nothing else can, because they make us go through our memory and remember what we’ve learned before.