Understanding Visual Analytics

Visual analytics is a method of exploring and analysing data visually.

It is a dynamic, interactive process that helps you get to the cause of business issues. By exploring data on a deeper level, you’re able to gain valuable business insights. Visual analytics enables you to answer ‘Why’ questions, like why the profits are less on a particular product. It includes two key components: data exploration and data visualisation (which we’ll examine in more detail below).

And, as a business leader, a growth market catches your attention! It’s a sign of opportunity! And it’s an opportunity you can and should leverage. Visual analytics transforms raw data into an understandable visual story. It allows you to glean valuable, real-time insights and keep your business on the competitive edge.

Visual analytics also makes data accessible to a wide range of users. It simplifies complex data and enables users to identify patterns within data sets without extensive technical know-how.

You have multiple sets of data for every location, including:

basically, everything you need to determine both your bottom line and productivity levels.

Though a spreadsheet would do the job, detecting patterns in this format would take an enormous amount of time. And while you might be able to employ people to do that task for you, it may still be an inefficient use of resources. Especially if you compare it to the potential value of using a visual analytics solution.

But there is one point to bear in mind when you delve into visual analytics:

And since the aim of visual analytics is to simplify the analysis of data, let’s look at how it accomplishes this.

Even the best of us struggle when confronted with vast quantities of numbers. However, streams of values and other complex data can be simplified. The solution—rendering the data in a visual format. Luckily, humans are incredibly skilled at pattern recognition. If we weren’t, we probably wouldn’t survive the daily commute. We seek and recognise patterns everywhere – traffic lights, seasons, symptoms of illness, or even the aesthetics of that pair of houndstooth trousers you’ve had your eye on.

Visuals, like an executive dashboard, help business leaders get the insights they need at a glance. An executive dashboard is an interface displaying all the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) an exec needs to monitor and effectively run their business. In retail, for example, this dashboard helps to easily track data as diverse as added value and warrantee sales to staff absenteeism. While in the health sector, managers use executive dashboards to monitor the ratio between staff levels and patient waiting time.

And the findings can be compared accurately and in near real time. In short, visuals like sales spikes can be detected at a glance or the contributing factors for service failures can be easily assembled in one dashboard view.

• Learn more about best practices in data visualisation

• And learn how to master KPI dashboarding

• Discover how to add additional data context with Viztips without overwhelming your audience

Visual analytics has become widely adopted in the business world. One of the main reasons for its growing popularity and success is that it has closely mirrored advancements in technology. Modern analytics solutions can quickly translate your data into practically any kind of visual representation. And it’s achievable with just a few mouse clicks. Then, milliseconds later, when the data is displayed visually, you can instantly change what data you are looking at, and how you look at it.

They enable business leaders to drill down into a micro-level view of their data or pull back into the macro. Execs can delve into any part of the business to diagnose potential issues this way. Or discover things they may otherwise have missed and answer questions they may not have thought to ask.

Leading visual analytics solutions are easy to use and require little or even no coding skills. This opens up access to users of all data literacy levels. Everyone in a business, not just the tech-savvy or dedicated analytics teams should be able to dig into and use data to improve their performance, even organisations without a strong tech base.

Though these solutions focus on being user-friendly, companies can maximise their visual analytics output by improving the data literacy levels of all employees. When the majority can read, understand and communicate with data, and derive insights, the benefits of visual analytics grow exponentially. Data literacy has become a critical skill for the 21st century. And data is the kingmaker. This is evident in the skyrocketing success of data rulers like Amazon, Apple and Google.

Improve accessibility with Vizlib Viztips. Viztips provides an intuitive, in context drill-down experience on hover without overwhelming the user. This helps to encourage more users to explore data confidently.

Data is produced at an incredible rate in today’s business world. It’s difficult to find time to extract relevant information from the data deluge, let alone use it to drive your competitive position. According to a recent Inside Big Data survey, 72% of businesses collect data but never use it. Approximately half of the respondents believe it’s because data processing takes too long. Well, this is where visual analytics comes to the party. Visual analytics software can manage all the data you can throw at it, and translate it into useful bites in merely a few clicks.

You can easily extract actionable insights with Vizlib’s Analytic Search capability. Users get fast, easy access to data with a familiar web-like search interface that makes data exploration simple and intuitive.

Visual analytics is a great medium for sharing business information. Managers and execs can share key data findings and collaborate easily with visual analytics software. Smooth collaboration can fast-track problem solving and result in more agile changes in the business. This collaborative feature makes visual analytics a powerful business tool.

Streamline collaboration with Vizlib Teamwork . You’ll enable in-context and real-time conversations inside your dashboards. Teams can ask and answer questions in minutes, save time and make better decisions.

• Learn more about the benefits of smooth collaboration with the data team

A key element of visual analytics is the ability to view graphs and charts from multiple angles. So, you’re not just identifying your key data points and trends, but also where there may be gaps in your data and peripheral areas of interest. In essence, it’s a means of clarifying complex data analysis.

Thanks to the evolution of dashboarding from Excel spreadsheets to end-to-end analytics platforms like those offered by Business Intelligence (BI) specialists like Qlik, visual analytics is easy to adopt in any business. You don’t need to have an agenda to explore data, but can simply rove the data for useful nuggets, and when you find them, investigate them further without the need for in-depth technical knowledge.

Business leaders that embrace data and harness it’s ever-increasing value through visual analytics, will have a seat in the front of the Fourth Industrial revolution bandwagon.

• Learn more about driving BI user-adoption and deepening insights

That Neanderthal may have earned his fleeting novelty and social status with his paint pot illustrations, but the advent of visual analytics elevates everyone up the data evolution chain. With access to data and the ability to use data effectively, individuals and the entire business wins.

Adopting visualisation tools that are easy-to-use will ensure everyone’s included, whatever their data literacy level. Yet, not all businesses are reaping the same rewards from visual analytics. Let’s look at some potential barriers.

Combining Vizlib’s powerful value-added products with Qlik’s extraordinary associative engine can rocket a business' visual analytics out of the dark ages!

And begin them on the journey to effective data storytelling.

• Discover more on best practices for creating effective financial dashboards

Visual analytics is a means to analyse data and display the pertinent findings visually. This data transformation can also be taken a step further. Visualisations can be turned into data stories. Traditionally, storytelling has been a way to convey an important message or moral through generations of people. They capture the imagination of readers, or those hearing the story, and result in the learning or message behind the story sinking in.

In business, the benefits are the same. Data storytelling is about adding the components of storytelling to your data findings to capture your audience’s attention and direct their thinking and actions.

Story Components

Much like a traditional story, the components include a protagonist, the world they live in and their transformation journey. It begins with the protagonist or hero mucking about in their world, where everything is currently in balance. This would be your business status quo.

These components form the framework for data storytelling. The framework helps you present data in an inspiring and persuasive manner. And its success hinges on the ability to show rather than tell the core message. It should not only highlight what matters, but to who and what action they should take.

The fundamental aim of data storytelling is to persuade your audience to take a particular action. The best approach is by establishing their trust. And you’ll gain their trust when you replicate their world—create a familiar setting, speak their language, communicate what they need to know and handle their concerns.

Here are a few tips to get your data storytelling started.

Adding real characters to your data story will hook the audience and help to drive the story narrative. Using a character, like a salesperson, will keep your audience’s attention longer. Hopefully until the conclusion – the action they should take.

Humour is a great mechanism for keeping people in a good mood. When they’re in a good mood, they’re more engaged and will be more present for your data journey. But don’t let your humour stray too far from your audience’s world though!

• What happened?

• Why did it happen?

• What you’ve discovered?

• Why is this discovery important to your specific audience?

Support your discovery with data that validates your point. This will support your business case and help to demonstrate the business value in your suggestions. Make sure the data enhances your point and doesn’t merely repeat it, otherwise you could lose your audience’s attention.

Vizlib Scatter Chart, Slider and KPI Designer, part of Vizlib Library , validating the point that you need nearly 600 ice-cream cones when it's 25 degrees to ensure you have happy consumers!

• Check out our webinar on taking the leap from dashboarding to data storytelling

As a business leader, you want to improve your business’ performance and generate greater business value. Adopting tools that facilitate your strategic goals are an imperative. And when the tools are easy to use, you can make changes quickly and realise profits sooner

Visual analytics is the game changer you need to get real-time business insights, enhance your decision making and maintain a competitive edge. You can begin developing a visual analytics strategy for your business by keeping a few basic steps in mind.

Visual standards are not something we take notice of even though they are ubiquitous. Often, we only notice them when they’re gone! For instance, there are many signs and symbols that you’re probably familiar with and rely on every day. Just think about it—what would happen if you were driving in a foreign country and their symbol for a stop sign was a blue triangle?

Similarly, the need for standardisation and consistency is crucial in the field of visual analytics. And can take the form of data visualisation standards. These standards or guidelines provide a framework for creating uniform dataviz designs and ensure a company’s branding is consistent.

As a result, it may also take longer for data consumers to read and understand charts correctly if the same information is communicated in several different ways on various dashboards. And that confusion is the opposite of what dataviz should achieve in business intelligence. It should be simplifying the data to generate clear business insights and fast action.

Organisations should develop a data visualisation style guide to create standardised and professional dataviz. This could include the what, like what type of chart to use, the why, why colour should not be overused, and the how, to provide basic action steps for implementation.

You could easily include a few fundamental principles by following those established by the International Business Communication Standards (IBCS). Their visualisation standards guide the design of business visualisations and form the acronym ‘success’ (and should hopefully set you on a path to such):

International Business Communication Standards

Your visualisation guide should form part of your organisation’s design system. Why? Because the guide will draw from other sources like branding and editorial guides to ensure those main principles pull through to all data visualisations.

Next, choose a software solution that offers high levels of customisation (such as Vizlib 😉). Personalised or customised dataviz will more likely hook your audience and hold their attention. Not all visualisation tools can deliver eye-catching visuals, though, at least not without many hours of input. We found that one of the most effective solutions for creating and upholding visual standards is templates! Templates can help you to quickly and easily develop professional, eye-catching dataviz.

Templates in data visualisation are pre-designed visual elements that you or other users can select for their dataviz. They’re often created by experienced designers (or specialists in your team) and allow those with less time or skill to benefit from high-quality dataviz designs.

And the advantage of templates extends beyond their professional design. They also help maintain visual consistency and a uniform layout – a standardised look that aligns with the company’s overall design system.

If you’d like to empower all your data users to create beautiful, pre-designed charts quickly, try Vizlib Templates. This capability enables execs and all data users, that may lack the time or skill, to create pixel-perfect visualisations.

Vizlib Templates enables companies to generate a consistent, standardised and professional look for their data visualisations

The adoption of visual standards can help your business save time, establish professional design standards and, ultimately, get your audience hooked and keep them hooked!

Let’s see what trends will soon rock the world of data analysis and visualisation.

The evolution of visual learning is a journey—its humble beginnings in the dark ages with Neanderthal stick figures painted on cave walls to present day three-dimensional visualisations—a near replication of the real world