Though this fall’s 4-week, asynchronous Data Visualization course was brief, my classmates and I learned a significant amount on compelling storytelling through data. Also known as GEN BUS 720, Data Visualization for Business Analytics is a required course for Marketing MBAs studying marketing analytics & insights and Masters of Science in Business Analytics.
In the first week, we learned the key principles of effective data visualization and refreshed our understanding of concepts from Marketing Research, including the distinctions between continuous and discrete data and identifying the types of visualizations suitable for each. We learned the 5 C’s of data visualization – Context, Content, Concision, Concentration and Communication. These are crucial to creating the right representation of data for your specific audience. We also discussed what makes for bad data visualization and shared examples of data viz gone wrong.
Then we went on to create our own visualizations in Tableau. Creating these allowed us to learn how to leverage its functionalities like Color, Shape, Grouping, and Filtering in order to make our visualizations more effective.
Throughout the course, we were provided various datasets and instructions on types of visualizations to create using those datasets. Using what we’d learned through the video lectures, it was up to us to get creative and make our analyses understandable, effective, and interesting.
By the end of Week 3 we had learned how to connect multiple data sources to explore insights, visualize time trends and forecasts, and use the Calculations and Parameters functions in Tableau to create dynamic and interactive visualizations.
Finally, in Week 4, we used all the building blocks we had learned in previous classes to employ the What – So What – Now What framework into our visualizations to craft compelling data-driven stories. This served as useful practice for future roles where we will almost certainly need to convey a compelling story to key stakeholders making business decisions.
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