How can you align your data visualizations with consulting goals? (2024)

Before you create any data visualization, you need to ask yourself: what is the purpose of this visual? What message do you want to convey? Who is your audience? How will they use or interact with the visual? These questions will help you define the scope, context, and tone of your visualization, and align it with your consulting goals. For example, if your goal is to inform your client about the current state of their market, you might use a dashboard with descriptive statistics and charts. If your goal is to persuade your client to take a specific action, you might use a story with explanatory or predictive graphs and narratives.

Once you have defined your purpose, you need to choose the right type of visualization for your data and message. There are many types of visualizations, such as tables, charts, maps, diagrams, and infographics, and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. You need to consider factors such as the nature, size, and complexity of your data, the level of detail and granularity you want to show, the relationships and patterns you want to highlight, and the emotions and reactions you want to elicit. For example, if you want to show the distribution of a variable, you might use a histogram or a boxplot. If you want to show the correlation between two variables, you might use a scatterplot or a line chart.

After you have chosen the type of visualization, you need to design it for clarity and impact. This means that you need to follow some best practices for data visualization, such as using appropriate colors, fonts, labels, legends, scales, and axes, avoiding clutter and noise, highlighting key points and trends, and adding annotations and captions. You also need to consider the aesthetics and style of your visualization, and make sure that it matches your brand identity and your client's preferences. For example, if you want to create a professional and elegant look, you might use a minimalist and monochrome palette. If you want to create a dynamic and engaging look, you might use a vibrant and contrastive palette.

Finally, you need to test and refine your visuals before you present them to your client. This means that you need to check for accuracy, consistency, and readability of your data and message, and solicit feedback from your peers, colleagues, or mentors. You also need to adapt your visuals to the format and medium of your presentation, whether it is a report, a slide deck, a website, or a video. You might need to make some adjustments or modifications to optimize your visuals for different devices, platforms, or audiences. For example, if you want to present your visuals on a mobile device, you might need to simplify them and use larger fonts and icons.

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Consulting

+ Follow

Thanks for your feedback

Your feedback is private. Like or react to bring the conversation to your network.