Four Simple Ways to Level Up Your Data Visualization
Let’s brush up this line chart right in time for the Tokyo Olympics.
The Olympics is finally (almost) here after a one-year postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the excitement of the Games are interesting statistics and data that capture the myriad of stories that make the Olympics the inimitable global event that it is.
One of these fascinating stories is the rise of women's participation.
Below is a line chart showing the rising trend of female athletes taking part in the Olympics. While it shows that, yes, women are now able to compete more I think we can still squeeze the data a little bit further to provide added insights.
I have a few questions from looking at the chart above. Questions such as how does female participation compare between the Summer and Winter Olympics? What factors have contributed to the rising trend?
With these questions in mind, I’ve created the dashboard below in Tableau Public using the same dataset in an attempt to answer these “curiousities”.
Here are some of the ways this dashboard levels up the visualization by a few notches:
Color
By using color as the differentiator for the Summer and Winter Olympics, we can easily see the similarities and differences over the years between the two. Just the right number of colors were used to distinguish different details and not too many that would make the reader dizzy.
Annotation
Short notes help add context and direct the viewer’s attention to significant parts of the visualization.
Filter
Filters give viewers an interactive experience with the data. Through the filter, a speed skating fan (like me) can choose to view details on Winter Olympics only.
Two Charts Side by Side
By having two visualizations it is easier for a viewer to compare the trend between the percentage of women participation versus the trend in women’s events. From here, we can make an assumption that adding women’s events have contributed to the rise of female participation at the Olympics.
These are just some of the many ways that you can make your visuals do their magic.
Data can be intimidating and others would think of it as boring. But that shouldn’t be the case. Data is fascinating and by using the right tools, it can be presented in a visual form that would open up a new universe to the viewer. (a little too dramatic here, but it does something like that)
Still not convinced?
Go to Reddit and see how virtually anything can be made so interesting by the right data visualization.