Listening to What Data Users *Say* They Need… but Giving Them What They *Actually* Need

Oct 27th, 2020 / Data Visualization
I recently had the chance to talk with Zach Bowders on his podcast, Data + Love. Zach is a data analyst, a Tableau Public Ambassador, and passionate about data visualization and data storytelling. We talked about how to distinguish between IT and data professionals, how to narrow what users *actually* need, understanding your audience and how to speak up when data isn’t useful.
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Re-envisioning a University’s Monthly Report: Two Reports with Two Different Purposes

Oct 20th, 2020 / Dashboards
“How can I show my audience that 24,000 is a big number??” an evaluator asked me. She’s right; this is challenging. A single number on its own doesn’t tell us anything. Have you heard those (un)professional recommendations like, “Just type the 24,000 in large font so it grabs attention!” or “Add an icon next to the 24,000 to bring it to life!” Sigh. Want to bring numbers to life? We need to compare numbers to something. Here are two suggestions.
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Customizing Reports for the Audience with Deven Wisner

Oct 13th, 2020 / Data Visualization
When we should follow APA format? When should we not? Earlier this year I sat down with my good friend Deven Wisner about customizing reports for the audience. During this six-minute conversation, we talked about Deven’s current work (he’s a managing partner, professor and student himself!) as well as the advice he gives to his own students.
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Public Speaking Tips for Researchers and Evaluators from Isaac Castillo

Sep 8th, 2020 / Data Visualization
Isaac Castillo is the Director of Outcomes, Assessment and Learning at Venture Philanthropy Partners. He has 20+ years of experience with research, evaluation and measurement. Although Isaac has spent two decades working in research and evaluation, he started his career as a competitive debater and public speaking coach. I asked Isaac for his #1 piece of public speaking advice. Isaac advised us to prepare half as much content as we think we need. Here’s why.
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Presenting Data While Working Remotely: Audio, Lighting, and Speaking Tips

Mar 31st, 2020 / Data Visualization
I recently had the chance to talk with my friend Jon Schwabish of PolicyViz. Our latest conversation was part of the Urban Institute’s Data@Urban Digital Discussions series. The intention of these talks are to connect with each other while we’re all social distancing. In it we discuss my work at home setup, my top three tips for presenting data over video calls and lessons learned from teaching online courses.
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