The Indispensable Guide to Chart Design and Data Visualization, Part 1

As a follow up to the article "3 Practical Tips for Effective BI Dashboard Design and Implementation", I think it would be beneficial to closely focus on how to most effectively communicate your data using different visual forms.

The previous article went into great depth on business context, purpose and overall implementation of visual metrics, but now I'd like to take a more granular approach in analyzing dashboard design-why, when and how to choose from the options afforded to you in many of the BI tools on the market.

If you can master the simple techniques to best visualize your data using lines, bars, points and text, then you're likely already ahead of most professionals in your industry. As you probably already know, business is becoming more and more data-driven and basic chart literacy is becoming as important as good writing for communication.

Your visualization should show the information in a clear way that can lead to action on the data. That's the whole point of business intelligence. Without these skills you'll miss vital insights that could be gained from your data and you simply won't be able to convey to others the message you want to tell.

Tell me, can you accurately tell which store out of 3 & 4 has more sales?

What about now?

Thought so.

Chart design matters

Once ...