Data Placemats: A 3-Step Process for Increasing Data Use

Jun 15th, 2021 / Data Visualization
Want to make sure that your data gets used to inform decisions? Get your stakeholders involved in the sense-making process! Are you familiar with data placemats? Here’s how they work: (1) Design Data Placemats, (2) Facilitate an Interpretation Meeting, and (3) Include those Insights in the Final Report or Slideshow.
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Can Your Dataviz Have an Influence on School Reopening Plans?

Jul 28th, 2020 / Data Visualization, Presentations, Reports
Our organizations collect all this data—through surveys, assessments, interviews, and so on—and then what? The default: The data just sits there inside a Dusty Shelf Report. But what if your data could actually inform real-life decisions? I recently sat down with Vivian Jefferson from Loudoun County Public Schools, a growing district in the Washington, D.C. metro area who shared that her graphs had been featured on the news (!!!).
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Advice for Early-Career Data Visualization Freelancers: Ann’s Interview with Jane Zhang

Mar 24th, 2020 / Data Visualization
When Jane Zhang wanted to interview me for her article for the Data Visualization Society, I agreed! We agreed to video record the conversation so that more could benefit and it might be especially helpful for early-career data visualization freelancers—or those contemplating the switch from a salaried job into a freelancing job. If that’s you, welcome to the dataviz community! And enjoy this video interview.
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A Real-Life Excel Test from a Job Interview: Can You Pass??

Feb 18th, 2020 / Data Analysis
Ten year ago, I was interviewing for an analyst position and I’d sat in the interviewer’s office going on and on about all my great spreadsheet skills. And then the interviewer was like, “Prove it. Come with me.” I was then led to an office with a computer that had an Excel test just waiting for me. My heart just about stopped– what did I say I knew how to do again?? Spoiler alert: I got the job but fast forward ten years later- can I still pass that Excel test today?
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Three Ways Intentional Data Viz Has Elevated My Work

Sep 26th, 2019 / Data Visualization, Reports
Are your dot plots due for an update? Do they depict the data in a positive and easy-to-understand way? Kathy Dowell shares how to spruce up your dot plots so that your audience is engaged and going away informed. She highlights that your report cover makes all the difference in engaging your audience or your report landing on a shelf unread. Kathy, a student of Ann’s, shares how being enrolled in Ann’s courses was just the inspiration she needed to take her work to the next level.
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