Communicating With Data

Module 1

Live Session
May 20 / 21, 2021

Professor Kevin Hartman

Welcome!

These guidelines are firm. Please contact John Tubbs with questions and concerns. [email protected]
Recommended Reading
“Digital Marketing Analytics: In Theory And In Practice” is like a textbook for this course

Even if you know nothing about digital marketing analytics, digital marketing analytics
knows plenty about you. It is a fundamental, inescapable, and permanent cornerstone of
modern business that impacts the lives of analytics professionals and consumers in equal
measure. This book is an attempt to provide the context, perspective, and information
needed to make the concept of analytics accessible to individuals who understand its
reach and relevance and want to learn more.

The contents of this book are informed by my decades of work in the digital analytics
space, with most of that time spent leading large analytics teams at a major advertising
agency and a global technology company. I’ve also had the privilege of teaching analytics
at the graduate level for nearly ten years. This textbook represents the synthesis of those
two worlds: the academic and actionable, the history and the hands-on, the analysis and
the application.

Available in eBook, paperback printed in black & white, or paperback printed in color.
Today’s Discussion

Supplemental lecture slides and discussion

○ L1: Studying the history of dataviz

○ L2: Understanding today’s dataviz tools

○ L3: Making connections with visuals

○ L4: Evaluating the effectiveness of dataviz

Student group discussion: Your dataviz experience

Module 1: Pictures You See With Your Brain

Learning Objectives:
Understand the evolving history of data visualization in society
Understand a framework for organizing dataviz tools today (and
tomorrow)
Appreciate the challenges (and opportunities) of visual communication
Learn a framework for evaluating the quality of a data visualization
Studying the history of dataviz
Dataviz has a long history
starting with map-making and
fanning into statistics, politics,
medicine, and other fields
ART SCIENCE
Functional Roles Of The Analyst
Today, the analyst’s success depends upon skill in three functional areas of expertise

Data Strategist. Strong marketing strategy capabilities and high

data affinity. Must be the bridge between the analytical hard core
geek and the rest of the world.
Techie. Owner of the necessary underlying data infrastructure and
applications. Needs to engage in constant communication with the
data strategist. 
Data Designer. Strong creativity with the ability to transform data
insights into visuals. Must have command over dataviz tools and
understand how to infuse images with meaning.

Source: Adapted from Fassnacht, “Making Accountability Sexy” (2006)

Role Success Explained
Successfully contributing in each of the function roles requires the analyst to collect abilities
that range from an understanding of statistics to mastery of data visualization tools

Data strategist Techie Data designer

The successful Data Strategist has a The Techie knows how to use critical The successful Data Designers have
solid, practical understanding of data tools including SQL, R and / or a broad understanding of data
statistics and can effectively apply Python, and 1P / 3P tools used by visualization tools and have mastered
that understanding to business their company (or clients) to collect the use of a select clutch of
challenges. Equally important is a and manage data. In addition, the complementary tools. Most
solid grasp of business concepts, successful Techie understands study importantly, the best Data Designers
especially those concepts germane design relevant to their industry (e.g., have an eye for effective design and
to their specific industry. surveys, media mix models, etc.). exceptional communication skills.
 Picture yourself
somewhere right
about here.
Source: Divvy, 2Q2019 -1Q2020
Understanding today’s dataviz tools
Dataviz tools represent an
evolution in analytics that can
best be described along two
important dimensions
http://datavis.cafe/
Dataviz tools defined by two dimensions

How quickly can one reasonably expect to

Ease of use learn the tool? How intuitive is it? What
special skills does it require?

What is the breadth of the tool’s

Flexibility functionality? How flexible is it? How much
data can the tool effectively manage?
THE DATA VISUALIZATION TOOL MARKET
An analysis of ease of use and capability

easy

limited powerful

hard
 easy

limited
 2011

Source: SXSW program directory (2011)

 2012

Source: SXSW program directory (2012)

 2013

Source: SXSW program directory (2013)

easy

powerful
RAW offers D3-based visualizations
Small Multiples (Area) Circle Packing Alluvial Diagram Voronoi Tessellation Delaunay Triangulation

Streamgraph Bump Chart Treemap Scatter Plot Parallel Coordinates

Convex Hull Cluster Dendrogram Circular Dendrogram Clustered Forced Layout Hexagonal Binning

Source: http://app.raw.densitydesign.org/
 powerful

hard
GRAHAM SCHOOL
Making connections with visuals
Visualization is rooted in brain
science and is one of the most
efficient ways to communicate
ideas, insights, and concepts
 Rseaerch icntidaes taht the oerdr
of the ltteers in a wrod dnsoe’t
relaly mettar. Waht relaly mtteras
is the frist and lsat leettr in the
wrod. If tehy are in the rhgit palce,
you can raed the wdors.
Source: Adapted from Werzowa, Johnson, Lanahan and Shillum
Source: Simons & Levin (1998)
Evaluating the effectiveness of dataviz
Creating effective, impactful,
and good-looking dataviz
requires a successful blend of
several key elements
 McCandless Framework
McCandless offers a thorough definition of good data stories

Source: David McCandless

 McCandless Framework
McCandless offers a thorough definition of good data stories

Source: David McCandless

 McCandless Framework
McCandless offers a thorough definition of good data stories

Source: David McCandless

 McCandless Framework
McCandless offers a thorough definition of good data stories

Source: David McCandless

 McCandless Framework
McCandless offers a thorough definition of good data stories

Source: David McCandless

McCandless connects to analysis process

Plan (Goal) Collect (Information) Analyze (Story) Report (Visual Form)

• Establish the campaign / brand / • Locate sources that house the required • Produce “tidy”, analysis-ready datasets • Leverage preattentive attributes in visual
company’s clear, singular objective to data identified in the planning step to ensure your analysis is error-free perception to quickly and effective
be addressed by your analysis communicate your meaning
• Utilize data mining tools and techniques • Proactively address data-quality issues
• Define key questions you will be asking necessary to collect required data and concerns • Ensure that recommendations are as
of the data clear and concise as possible
• Select a data management system that • Perform analysis techniques that lead
• Identify the type of analysis you will be balances your needs for power and you to draw conclusions from collected • Follow simple rules of design to
conducting and the resultant data you simplicity data visualize insights with impact
will need
• Ensure the effectiveness of future • Compress learnings into • Connect to your audience with passion
• Plan your approach to collecting your analysis by limiting bias in the data easy-to-understand snippets by to ensure your story is memorable
data — the data you require and the constantly asking yourself “what’s the
sources (and tools) you will use 60 seconds story?”
Good Visual Form
Good visual form has three essential elements, each important

Separates important
Sophisticated data from the rest via
Use of Contrast visual context

Clearly communicates
the insight we intend
to convey Clear Refined
Meaning Execution
Applies visual polish to
bring deep attention to
detail to the visual
Good Visual Form
Good visual form has three essential elements, each important

Separates important
Sophisticated data from the rest via
Use of Contrast visual context

Clearly communicates
the insight we intend
to convey Clear Refined
Meaning Execution
Applies visual polish to
bring deep attention to
detail to the visual
Good Visual Form
Good visual form has three essential elements, each important

Separates important
Sophisticated data from the rest via
Use of Contrast visual context

Clearly communicates
the insight we intend
to convey Clear Refined
Meaning Execution
Applies visual polish to
bring deep attention to
detail to the visual
Good Visual Form
Good visual form has three essential elements, each important

Separates important
Sophisticated data from the rest via
Use of Contrast visual context

Clearly communicates
the insight we intend
to convey Clear Refined
Meaning Execution
Applies visual polish to
bring deep attention to
detail to the visual
Good Visual Form
Good visual form has three essential elements, each important

Separates important
Sophisticated data from the rest via
Use of Contrast visual context

Clearly communicates
the insight we intend
to convey Clear Refined
Meaning Execution
Applies visual polish to
bring deep attention to
detail to the visual
Student Group Discussion
What has been your experience with dataviz to date?

Spend 15 min in your groups discussing the questions below. What is your personal
experience in each of these areas?

Be prepared to share your best findings.

Roles Tools Visuals

Q1: How are analyst Q2: With which dataviz Q3: How have you
roles staffed in your tools are you most evaluated dataviz prior
organization? familiar? to this class?
Individual Assignment 1
For this assignment, you will produce a number of visualizations from a single dataset using a
number of different visualization tools 

Step 1:  Find the data – Find a source of numbers-based data (e.g., a company balance sheet, sales
trends, Google search volume over time from Google Trends, etc.) that you want to analyze.

Step 2: Create various visualizations – Find a tool (or tools) that can create a variety of data
visualizations. The tools could exist on the web or on your computer (e.g., commercially available
software that you have installed on your PC). Use the tool(s) to produce each of the following three simple
visualizations with the data you have chosen (and be sure to use the same data for each DataViz):
Line chart (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_chart)
Bar chart (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_chart)
Pie chart (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie_chart)

Step 3:  Evaluate the visuals – Explain the pros and cons of each visual.(1) Does the visual form
effectively communicate the data? (2) Can insights that exist in the data be seen easily in the visual form?
(3) Which visual best expressed the data you have chosen? (4) Which visual is the least effective?