Utilizing new data visualization approaches for deeper connections

Using information to further business growth has become essential to maximizing potential benefits and creating a profitable organization. However, when it comes to presenting the data, it takes more than just a report to impress stakeholders - a report designer should be used to convey the metrics in an understandable way and provide a more interesting display than a list of statistics. As this technology becomes more essential to company functions, staff will increasingly need to be able to utilize it.

While data analytics processes have traditionally been seen as a challenge among many organizations, the tools have evolved to allow employees with a variety of skill sets to work seamlessly with the features. SmartData Collective contributor Julie Hunt noted that businesses need new views of data in order to reveal deeper connections and trends that could impact decisions and growth. To accomplish this, the information must be given context and establish the state of company conditions to determine if the results are valid. If the analytics do not take these elements into account, the organization will not see the right results and may, in turn, make the wrong decision to spur continuity efforts.

"New directions for data visualizations will continue to proliferate, along with new challenges and opportunities," Hunt wrote. "Analytics results represented by data visualizations are only worthwhile if they add important intelligence, illuminate the meaning of data, and educate more roles in the company."

Incorporating new approaches to data
As fresh methods of data reporting emerge, it will be important to integrate them into the analytics process in order to find the best method of generating actionable insights. Scientific American noted that by changing the reader's point of view, it's possible to shift to visceral data visualization. By doing this, the viewer will see the full context of the information, which will help them make important decisions that rely on relevant trends and occurrences in the workplace. The visceral approach shows how each element acts together to form the bigger picture, which will be necessary to consider when making important changes in the company.

"Each individual story is honored and represented as a discrete point or trajectory," according to the source. "But there is power in showing how those individuals fit into the bigger picture. And graphics are a powerful tool in portraying complex and large pictures."