MODULE – 1

Data Visualization and Story Telling

Course Name: DATA VISUALIZATION AND STORY TELLING
Course Code : [22TAIMLDE 13]
Total Hours : 09
Prepared by: [Link] P.
(Assistant Professor CSE(AIML))
 Syllabus
Introduction to data visualization and storytelling, best
practices of Data visualization and storytelling,
Introductions to data visualization and storytelling tools
(Tableau), Tableau Workspace, Analyse structured data
using Tableau.
Introduction to data visualization and Storytelling
[Link]
General Types of Visualizations:
Chart: Information presented in a tabular, graphical form with data displayed along two axes.
Can be in the form of a graph, diagram, or map
Table: A set of figures displayed in rows and columns
Graph: A diagram of points, lines, segments, curves, or areas that represents certain variables in
comparison to each other, usually along two axes at a right angle.
Geospatial: A visualization that shows data in map form using different shapes and colors to
show the relationship between pieces of data and specific locations.
Infographic: A combination of visuals and words that represent data. Usually uses charts or
diagrams.
Dashboards: A collection of visualizations and data displayed in one place to help with
analyzing and presenting data.
Introduction to data visualization and Storytelling
Introduction to data visualization and Storytelling

Engaging Communication
Data visualization transforms complex
information into easily understandable
visual representations, engaging audiences
and promoting understanding.

Revealing Hidden Trends

Visualizations uncover trends,

patterns, and insights that might be
missed when analyzing data in a tabular
format.
Introduction to data visualization and Storytelling
Data Visualization
Data visualization is the graphical representation of information and data. By using
visual elements like charts, graphs, and maps, data visualization tools provide an
accessible way to see and understand trends, outliers, and patterns in data. This method
helps to communicate complex data insights in a clear and effective manner

Story Telling
Introduction to data visualization and Storytelling
Best practices of Data Visualization and Storytelling
[Link]
How Make data visualizations more engaging, dynamic, relevant, and appealing
to diverse audiences ?
Ask yourself these questions:
1. Who is my audience?
2. What questions do they have?
3. What answers am I finding for them?
4. What am I trying to say?
5. What other questions will my visualization inspire or what
conversations may result?
If you follow these, your visualization become intuitive
and interesting so it’s digested quicker, easier, and the intended
messages come through clearly, leaving viewers with specific, helpful
takeaways.
Best practices of Data Visualization and Storytelling
1. Choose the right charts and graphs for the job
➢ Choose the right visualization format to match your purpose and answer
key data questions.
➢ Combine related charts when useful to encourage deeper insights and
action.
➢ Bar charts are ideal for comparing categories within a dataset.
➢ Line charts effectively show trends and changes over time.
➢ Histograms, box plots, and maps help reveal distributions and geographic
patterns.
➢ Use pie charts sparingly; they work best as supporting visuals, not
standalone charts.
Best practices of Data Visualization and Storytelling

2. Use predictable patterns for layouts

➢ People naturally respond to clear visual cues and patterns.

➢ Organize data in a logical order (numeric, alphabetical, or sequential).

➢ Design visuals to match natural reading direction (e.g., left to right).

➢ Keep multiple charts consistent in layout and structure.

➢ Ensure clear connections between visuals to avoid confusion.

➢ Make it easy for viewers to follow insights quickly and effortlessly.

Best practices of Data Visualization and Storytelling

3. Tell data stories quickly with clear color cues

➢ Use color to communicate meaning quickly and effectively.
➢ Keep color schemes simple; avoid using too many colors.
➢ Use color to highlight key insights, not distract from them.
➢ Choose intuitive colors that match viewer expectations (e.g., red =
hot, blue = cold).
➢ Maintain consistent color use across similar values.
➢ Use contrast strategically to emphasize important differences in
data.
Best practices of Data Visualization and Storytelling

4. Incorporate contextual clues with shapes and designs

➢ Context helps viewers understand information quickly.

➢ Visuals should tell a clear story at a glance.
➢ Use subject-related shapes or icons to make data more engaging.
➢ Relevant imagery (e.g., animal silhouettes) improves
comprehension.
➢ Story-driven visuals are more intuitive than plain numbers.
➢ Avoid overly text-heavy charts that reduce clarity and impact.
Best practices of Data Visualization and Storytelling

5. Strategically use size to visualize values

➢ Use visual emphasis to highlight key and meaningful information.
➢ Shape size can represent relative values, not just appearance.
➢ Scaling elements by size improves comparison and understanding.
➢ Size-based visuals work especially well in maps and clustered
data.
➢ Avoid using identical sizes, as they make data hard to differentiate.
➢ Combine size and color to make visualizations clearer and easier
to navigate.
Best practices of Data Visualization and Storytelling

6. Apply text carefully and intentionally

➢ Use text thoughtfully to support visuals, not overwhelm them.

➢ Add text only where it highlights key insights or important details.
➢ Place the most important information at the top or upper-left area.
➢ Limit visuals to 3–4 views to keep the message clear and focused.
➢ Group related filters or elements to improve visual organization.
➢ Use interactivity to guide exploration and make the visualization
engaging.
Introductions to data visualization and Storytelling
Tools (Tableau)

➢ In this digital age, where data is abundant and diverse, tools like
Tableau have gained significant prominence for their ability to
transform raw data into meaningful visual representations.

➢ Tableau is a powerful data visualization tool that allows users to

connect to various data sources, transform raw data into interactive
visualizations, and share insights with others.

➢ It offers a user-friendly interface that empowers beginners and

experts to create compelling visualizations without requiring
extensive programming knowledge.
Architecture of Tableau
 Architecture of Tableau

1. Data server:
2. Data connector:
Tableau has in-built SQL/ODBC connector.
Real-time data or live connection:
Extracted or in-memory data:
3. Components of Tableau server
Application server
authorizations and authentications
VizQL server
Convert the queries from the data source into visualizations
Data server
Stores the related details of data set like calculated fields,
metadata, groups, sets, and parameters.
 Architecture of Tableau

4. Gateway
The gateway directed the requests from users to
Tableau components
5. Clients
Clients are a web browser, mobile
applications, and Tableau Desktop.
 Tableau
Key Features of Tableau
Data Connectivity: Tableau supports connections to various data sources
Drag-and-Drop Interface: With its intuitive interface, users can quickly create
visualizations by selecting fields and dropping them onto the canvas.
Interactive Visualizations: Tableau’s interactive capabilities enable users to
explore data by filtering, sorting, and drilling down into details.
Dashboards and Stories: Users can create interactive dashboards combining
multiple visualizations into one view. Tableau also allows users to build “stories”
that guide viewers through a sequence of visualizations to convey a narrative.
Real-Time Data Analysis: Tableau offers real-time data analysis, allowing users
to connect to live data sources and update visualizations as new data becomes
available.
 Tableau
Key Features of Tableau

Advanced Analytics: The tool provides various built-in calculations

and functions to perform complex data analysis, including
aggregations, calculations, and statistical functions.

Data Preparation: Tableau’s data preparation tools enable users to

clean, transform, and reshape data before creating visualizations,
ensuring data accuracy and consistency.

Customization and Styling: Users can customize the appearance of

visualizations by modifying colours, fonts, labels, and other design
elements to align with their branding or preferences.
 Tableau
Why Tableau Matters:
Clear Insights: Tableau’s visualizations present data clearly and easily
understandable, enabling users to grasp insights quickly and make informed
decisions.
Efficient Communication: Visualizations are a universal language that can
communicate complex data trends and patterns to diverse audiences, bridging
the gap between technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Actionable Intelligence: By visualizing data, organizations can identify
trends, anomalies, and opportunities that might have gone unnoticed in raw
data.
Strategic Decision-Making: Tableau empowers businesses to make data-
driven decisions, enabling them to optimize processes, enhance efficiency,
and gain a competitive edge.
 Tableau Workspace
[Link]
us/environment_workspace.htm
 Tableau Workspace
[Link]
 Tableau Workspace

➢ The Tableau workspace consists of menus, a toolbar, the Data pane, cards and shelves, and one or more
sheets. Sheets can be worksheets, dashboards, or stories.
➢ A. Workbook name. A workbook contains sheets. A sheet can be a worksheet, a dashboard, or a story. For
more information, see Workbooks and Sheets.
➢ B. Cards and shelves - Drag fields to the cards and shelves in the workspace to add data to your view.
➢ C. Toolbar - Use the toolbar to access commands and analysis and navigation tools.
➢ D View - This is the canvas in the workspace where you create a visualization (also referred to as a "viz").
➢ E. Click this icon to go to the Start page, where you can connect to data. For more information, see Start
Page.
➢ F. Side Bar - In a worksheet, the side bar area contains the Data pane and the Analytics pane.
➢ G. Click this tab to go to the Data Source page and view your data. For more information, see Data
Source Page.
➢ H. Status bar - Displays information about the current view.
➢ I. Sheet tabs - Tabs represent each sheet in your workbook. This can include worksheets, dashboards, and
stories. For more information, see Workbooks and Sheets
 Tableau Workspace

Tableau Toolbar
➢ When you are creating or editing a view, you can use the toolbar at the top
of the view to perform common actions.
➢ In Tableau Desktop, you can hide or display the Tableau toolbar by
selecting Window > Show Toolbar.
Functions of each toolbar button
1. Tableau icon
2. Pause Auto Updates
3. Run Update
4. Swap
5. Totals
6. Group Members
7. Show mark labels
8. Fix Axes
9. Fit
10. Show me etc…
 Tableau Workspace
Other Fields
➢ Columns and Rows shelves - The Columns shelf creates the columns of a table, while the
Rows shelf creates the rows of a table. You can place any number of fields on these shelves.
➢ Data panes - The Data pane in Tableau is the panel where you see, organize, and manage all
your data fields (dimensions and measures) used to build visualizations.
➢ Marks card - You use the Marks card to set the mark type and to encode your data with color,
size, shape, text, and detail.
➢ Filters shelf - The Filters shelf allows you to specify which data to include and exclude. For
example, you might want to analyze the profit for each customer segment, but only for certain
shipping containers and delivery times. By placing fields on the Filters shelf, you can create
such a view.
➢ Pages shelf - The Pages shelf lets you break a view into a series of pages so you can better
analyze how a specific field affects the rest of the data in a view.
Analyse structured data using Tableau.

What is structures data?

Structured data is data organized in rows and columns (like
Excel tables, CSV files, databases).
Examples:
1. Sales records 2. Student marks 3. Employee details
4. Website traffic 5. Financial transactions etc…
Steps to analyze structured Data using Tableau

Step 1:. Connect to the Data Source

▪ Open Tableau and click Connect
▪ Select the data source (Excel, CSV, Database, etc.)
▪ Load the data into Tableau
▪ Verify rows and columns are correctly displayed

2. Understand Data Types and Fields

▪ Identify Dimensions (categorical data like names, categories)

▪ Identify Measures (numerical data like sales, marks)
▪ Check data types (string, number, date)
▪ Organize fields using the Data Pane
Steps to analyze structured Data using Tableau

Step 3: Create Charts

▪ Drag dimensions and measures to Rows and Columns
▪ Choose chart types:
Bar chart → comparison
Line chart → trends over time
Pie chart → proportion
▪ Use Marks card to customize colors, labels, and size

Step 4: Apply Filters and Sorting

▪ Use Filters to focus on required data
▪ Sort data in ascending or descending order
▪ Apply quick filters for interactive analysis
▪ Helps in removing unnecessary data
Steps to analyze structured Data using Tableau

Step 5: Build Dashboards

▪ Drag dimensions and measures to Rows and Columns
▪ Combine multiple worksheets into one dashboard
▪ Arrange charts logically
▪ Add filters for interactivity
▪ Used for clear and effective data presentation

Summary: Tableau analysis involves connecting structured

data, understanding fields, creating visualizations, applying
filters, and combining insights using dashboards.
 Practice Question
Scenario: You are a data analyst for the college Placement
Cell. The Training & Placement Officer wants a dashboard to
understand placement performance.

Each student must build a dashboard with:

Required elements:
1. KPI: Total Students
2. KPI: Placement %
3. Bar chart: Placed students by Specialization
4. Bar chart: Average Salary by Degree Type
5. Scatter plot: MBA % vs Salary
6. Filters: Gender, Specialization
7. Your own creative element in the dashboard