Did you know that over 60% of professionals feel overwhelmed by the vast amount of information available on data dashboards (according to a 2021 survey by Data Analysis Insights)? In today’s digital age, it’s easy to get lost in an ocean of tutorials, articles, and videos, leading many to feel paralysed rather than empowered. The key to effective dashboard building isn’t about cramming your brain with endless knowledge but learning to apply targeted, structured knowledge effectively. In this post, we’ll dive into how a Fast-Track Learning approach can help you focus on the essential skills needed for your current dashboard project, embracing a ‘Learn Smarter, Not Harder’ mentality. Buckle up as we explore ways to streamline your learning process and succeed as a Tableau dashboard creator!
The Overload Problem: Information vs. Execution
As analysts or business intelligence professionals, we’re constantly told to learn more and become an ‘expert’. New features flash before our eyes daily, and best practices seem to evolve overnight. But before we know it, we find ourselves following a rabbit hole of resources instead of executing on the dashboards we’ve been tasked with delivering.
- Information Overload: Think of information overload like trying to fill a glass with water while it’s already overflowing. Each new drop of knowledge adds nothing, just overflow leaving nothing but a puddle of confusion. Instead of gaining insights, we drown in unnecessary facts, unsure what we are doing is the right thing.
- Lack of Clarity on Practical Applications: Picture standing in a supermarket with loads of ingredients on display, each promising to enrich your dish. As you browse the many options, you realise that none of them match exactly what you need for this recipe. This is how it feels when the knowledge gathered does not connect directly to the specific task in hand or your data. While every item potentially holds value, without a clear focus on what you’re trying to achieve, you walk away empty-handed, still uncertain about how to proceed.
The Cost of Over-Researching
You end up engrossed in endless posts, gathering “useful” information while your dashboard project staggers to a halt. This results in:
- Wasted time that could have been spent problem-solving and data analysing.
- Increased frustration with the software, a bit like getting stuck in traffic during your commute—what should have been a smooth ride home turns into gridlock.
- Stunted project progress and an uptick in anxiety as deadlines loom closer.Shifting to a Fast-Track Learning approach is essential to prioritise the knowledge that aligns directly with your dashboard project objectives.
Fast-Track Learning: Streamline Your Knowledge and Skills
So how can you adopt a Fast-Track Learning approach effectively? This method advocates for focused education based on your actual project needs, avoiding unnecessary detours. Get the basics, build your toolkit along the way. A coach can often pinpoint the knowledge you need to pick up to solve your specific challenge.
There are three specific areas that the Powerful Dashboards program covers that will help drive you towards your goal quicker:
1. Data Ready
Data is the fuel that powers your dashboard engine. If your data isn’t prepared, any dashboard you build is running on fumes. There are so many aspects to getting data ready that it is essential you Fast-Track your learning to prepare you for your specific needs. Consider:
- Data Discovery: Identify relevant data sources that matter, ensuring you pull the data necessary for insight discovery. Analyse your data in the context of this projects objectives and identify missing information or any transformations you will need to perform.
- Make Calculations: Learn how to compute known only the metrics that matter but also the way to highlight the outliers and insights for your dashboard, allowing you to turn raw data into meaningful calculations that drive action. Coaching guides you through using the right formulae that will enhance your data storytelling, helping you to adhere to the “five-second rule” for understanding and accessing crucial insights for your users.
- Combine Data: Master the most appropriate aspects of data amalgamation techniques to create cohesive datasets from whatever sources you need. Why learn “data blending” when “relationships” may solve your problem? Should you be “joining” or “union-ing” your data? Picture this as merging lanes in traffic; without this ability, your dashboard project gets stuck in a jam and you can’t reach your destination quickly enough. You are late for the party and all the deserts have gone.
Tips for Becoming Data Ready:
- Regularly assess your data landscape. Know what data you have and what you need, much like mapping out a route before hitting the road.
- Implement data cleaning processes as part of your routine. Remember, high-quality, actionable data leads to insightful dashboards.
- Identify insights and raise your users attention to them automatically and dynamically
- Ask yourself, when you see an insight, what’s the next question that raises?
- Review your approach with an expert to make sure it is a sensible, performant approach.
2. Great Charts
Now that you have your data in place, it’s time to tell your story visually. A well-crafted chart can enhance the clarity of your insights, making data not just readable but compelling. These topics guide you through the following concepts to consider:
- Make Charts: Learning every chart type there is, is just a waste of time. Make your chart selection and then learn how to add context, or if a complex chart is agreed upon – then learn how to make it. Different data stories demand different types of visuals.
- Make Tables: While charts are essential, tables can provide detailed information that charts can’t convey. Explore how to present your data side-by-side for accurate comparisons. Use visual filters to limit the table to the most insightful data.
- Make Maps: Visualising data geographically can reveal insights that numbers alone cannot. Understand how to integrate maps to represent data distribution effectively, when a spatial question is naturally asked.
- Add Insights: Adding contextual insights enhances the usability of your charts. Discover methods to integrate narrative text that highlights key findings from your data. Highlight the most significant insights and draw your users attention to them. Make sure your charts aren’t misleading or attract attention to the wrong things.
- Data Comparisons: The ability to compare data effectively is crucial. Focus on techniques that allow you to juxtapose key metrics to make informed decisions.
Charting Tips:
- Familiarise yourself with various chart types and their preferred use cases to enhance engagement. Review chart pickers to match the right charts to your data and the questions you are asking.
- Keep your audience in mind; tailor your visuals to their understanding.
- Maintain standard approaches when using charts and ensure that if “If something looks like something else, then it should mean the same thing.”. You can’t go wrong following the IBCS.org principles.
3. Interactive Dashboard
With your data ready and great charts in place, it’s time to create an interactive dashboard. The ability to provide interactivity turns your dashboard from good to great, enhancing user engagement. Here’s how to master the elements of an interactive dashboard:
- The Interface: A user-friendly interface is vital. Design intuitive navigation that aligns with users’ expectations, ensuring they can find the information they need at a glance.
- Layouts: The layout of your dashboard should prioritise data clarity. Organise blocks of information logically, where key insights are easily visible and accessible, similar to a well-organised bookshelf.
- Interactivity: Elevate user experience with dynamic interactivity. Include all necessary features, making sure they are easily used and easily understood. Encourage exploration and discovery with every click.
- Templates: Utilising pre-designed templates speeds up the creation process. Select or build templates that align with your presentation needs to maintain consistency and professionalism.
- Stories: Incorporate storytelling elements into your dashboards where appropriate. Narratives that accompany visual data can guide users through insights and encourage deeper understanding. This storytelling technique fosters engagement and makes your data memorable.
Interactive Dashboard Tips:
- Create user personas when building your dashboard to ensure it meets the specific needs of its intended users.
- Always test interactivity before launching, to ensure the user experience is seamless.
- Understand the required interactivity early on and learn the best ways to implement it early. This often impacts the calculated fields you will need to build.
Transitioning to Practical Application
Embracing the theoretical knowledge gained involves moving it into the practical domain. We often believe that learning outside the confines of our immediate project prepares us for success, but we can quickly lose speed. The goal is to keep our learning focused and deliberate. Although you’ll never forget how to ride a bike, you will probably forget how to build a donut chart if you don’t build one soon after learning. So. What’s the point?
(And if you say – “For fun”…that’s great… but you aren’t the “Busy professional” this article is aimed at!)
Best Practices for Accelerated Learning
- Set Clear Objectives: Drive straight ahead—keep your dashboard project as the target! Determine the knowledge gaps, and steer your learning efforts accordingly.
- Engage with Professionals: Networking and mentors will unveil shortcuts and insights that traditional materials miss.
- Practice in Parallel: Apply your newfound knowledge while actively building your dashboard.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Let’s remove the guesswork. Join our Pilot program – the latest version of Powerful Dashboards as powered by Tableau Training on Tap – and get your dashboard built while learning how to do it for future projects! Contact me for further details at info@vizdj.com.
Embrace the Fast-Track Learning approach’s benefits, allowing for seamless integration into your daily workflow.
Remember, exceptional dashboard design is rooted in strategic learning and purposeful execution. This journey will not only prove advantageous for your current project but equip you with the skills necessary to tackle the future with confidence!
This post was featured in Tableau’s Weekly Roundup.
