Tag: How To

A map of the continental United States colored in shades of red with several dark blue dots where cities exist.H
Christopher Laubenthal

How to Share Memorable Data

Integrating data visualization into non-profit work is both a strategic advantage and an easy pitfall.The core of non-profit work, for me, is communication. Listening to..
A box truck with chart on it.H
Christopher Laubenthal

How Can I Help People Find My Viz?

How a person receives a product is as important as the product itself, with truck drivers being a great way in understanding this point. In..
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Alex Kolokolov

Interviewing AI Assistants for Data Visualization

In today’s world, you need to run very fast just to stay in place. Technology is developing at an incredible speed, but I don’t believe..
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Victor Muñoz & Kevin Ford

Implementing the Solution Framework in a Social Impact Project

Those who know me will see that I love documenting every step of my data visualization process. I believe there’s so much to learn from..
Collected search results from the Kaggle data website showing 361,880 datasets .A
Christopher Laubenthal

AUGH! WHY IS THIS DIFFICULT? Picking a Dataset to Viz

“If you give a donkey two servings of food, equidistant apart and of equal quality, then the animal starves.” This was a saying I heard..
Diamond-shaped flowchart illustrating project stages from "Expand/Ideate" to "Deliver/Deploy," highlighting points of maximum risk of overwhelm and exhaustion.S
Erica Gunn

Step 9 in the Data Exploration Journey: Chart Choices

Both the purpose and the audience for our charts shifted during that transition, and it was important to think carefully about what we needed the charts to do.
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Shri Khalpada

‘The Data Diaries’: Building a Viral Interactive Visualization of Wordle

I’ve been an avid Wordle player for a few years now. As a daily ritual, it gives me an easy way to get my brain..
A column chart covering years 2018 to 2024 with each year's number increasing. On top of that is a line chart that is measuring the cumulative total of the column chart. In both charts low totals are in grey and large totals in green.R
Christopher Laubenthal

Rapid Fire: Scaling a Portfolio with Design Components

There are many ways that can speed your development cycle from data cleanliness to clarity of your user’s needs. My efficiency lay in the use of component-driven design.
A diagram illustrating the different phases of a project's lifecycle, represented in a diamond shape divided into four segments. Each segment is labeled with a different phase of the project: "Expand/Ideate" - This first segment, colored in purple, represents the beginning phase where ideas are generated and the project scope is expanded. It is marked with the note "Max risk of overwhelm," indicating that this is the stage where one might feel overwhelmed by the possibilities. "Focus/Consolidate" - The second segment, also in purple, follows the ideation phase and involves narrowing down ideas and focusing on the most viable ones. "Build/Produce" - The third segment, colored in blue, is where the actual product or project is built or produced. "Deliver/Deploy" - The final segment in blue represents the delivery or deployment phase of the project, marked with the word "Success!" A vertical axis labeled "Size of Project" shows an upward direction indicating growth or expansion. At the bottom of the axis are the words "Question, interest, or idea," and at the top, the phrase "Plan for what to do and how to tackle (at least some of it)" is written, suggesting that as the project progresses, a more concrete plan is formed. A black dot is placed at the intersection of the "Focus/Consolidate" and "Build/Produce" phases with an arrow pointing to it marked with "You are here," suggesting that the viewer is currently at the transition point between these two phases. The arrow also has a note "Max risk of exhaustion," warning of the potential for burnout at this stage. The diagram serves as a conceptual roadmap for project management, indicating that the project is halfway through its lifecycle and cautioning against the common risks associated with each stage.S
Erica Gunn

Step 8 in the Data Exploration Journey: Build

This article is part 9 in a series on data exploration, and the common struggles that we all face when trying to learn something new...
a man gives a presentation of charts and graphs to a room of people.W
Martynas Jočys

What to Consider When Considering the Audience

"Considering the audience" is one of the most important pieces of advice in storytelling and data visualization, but is can be a vague suggestion. This article turns this suggestion into a checklist you can go through to ensure your audience is considered.
An illustration of a woman writing on a paper.D
Maxene Graze

Developing Annual Surveys for Data Visualization Style Guides

Maintaining a viz style guide is crucial for consistent styling and speeding up the work flow. Here's how to measure style guide efficacy.
A group photo of a Data Garden Project workshop.I
Joanne Amarisa & Arran Ridley

Introducing Girls To Code, One Flower at a Time

The Data Garden Project started as a small group of creative learners. Now, it’s growing into a global community.
Close-up of a gridded heat map in orange and blue.D
Fernando Hannaka

Don’t Let Anxiety Get in the Way of Your Creative Process

Creating data visualization through trial and error can be nerve-racking. One project using unemployment data shows how the process pays off.
Two pie charts side by side, the left one with a smiley face drawn on top, the right one with a vomiting face of disgust.H
Nick Desbarats

Have I Resolved the Pie Chart Debate?

To use pie charts or not, that is the question! Here are a few arguments in favor of pie charts that have been missing from the debate.
Photo of a heron in water, catching fish with its beak.T
Christopher Laubenthal

This Analogy Explains How People Can Access Your Insights

Analogies can effectively explain complex topics in our field. The “fish in the pond" analogy shows ways to make insights more accessible.
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Kelsey Nanan

A Decade Wrapped – Plotting Nostalgia for a Data Viz Gift

Need a great gift idea? Try making a personalized data viz for that special someone.