Con’t – Data Visualization

Although there are many techniques need to be handled well for a good data visualization, it is now way easier and simpler to do it with great tools out there. However, one thing we need to bear in mind that we better not to treat data visualization like an end goal. This is one of the common mistakes people make in data reporting. 

Most data projects start off with a standard list of calculations such as finding means, medians, ranges and minimums and maximums in the data set. But after crunching the easy numbers, it can be tricky to tell which direction to explore next.It is recommended that creating some easy visualizations, like graphs and charts within the Excel program, to help spot patterns that can lead to story ideas or more questions, so that people would not be seeing numbers alone but with some exploratory visualizations and publishing them with the story as well. 

In addition, we should not overestimate the meaning of the data we have. Before even opening the file, data reporters should think carefully about the potential limitations of a data set, and what the data can and cannot tell you about a topic. People should pay attention to where the information comes from for key database fields and make sure you can trust the source.

For more common mistakes in data reporting, please click here to read:
https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/data-reporting-common-mistakes/