What Data Visualization Can Do For Your Business

What Data Visualization Can Do For Your Business

The human brain can only process so much information before “information overload” kicks in – a state where you can’t quite grasp what’s being conveyed or draw useful insights from it. This state is all too common in the Information Era where, according to Frontiers for Young Minds, the average person processes a massive 74GB of information daily. 

This is where data visualization comes in. Humans are wired to be visual – the brain can process images 60,000 times faster than text, and most people have an easier time recalling visual information too (as compared to, say, walls of text or audio clips). This makes data visualization a potent data-sharing and communication tool, with much relevance in a business context. 

Below, Joseph Manning Designs explains why data visualization matters for your business. 

What is Data Visualization? 

CareerFoundry defines data visualization as the graphical or visual representation of data. It’s conveying information through the use of graphics like charts, plots, infographics, and even animations. The goal is to make complex data easy to grasp. It highlights relationships, patterns, and insights; tells an impactful story; and also makes it easier to recall and remember everything.

In a business setting, a lot of information needs to be frequently communicated to – and understood by – employees, customers, investors, suppliers, and other stakeholders. Data visualization becomes a potent tool that facilitates information sharing, reduces the “information overload” effect, and helps your people and work processes work better through superior communication. We’ll break down the internal and external benefits below. 

How Data Visualization Could Benefit Your Operations 

Internally, data visualization can help business leaders make sense of all the data that is coming in, whether that’s financial reports or operational summaries. They gain a clearer picture of what’s going on with the company and can then make better business decisions. This applies to all areas such as customer behavior analysis, demographics pinpointing, marketing campaigns, or operations.  

Some examples of better decision-making are below: 

● Identifying opportunities for growth, expansion, and profit 

● Troubleshooting problems 

● Better matching of resources (like teams) to tasks

● Mitigating risks  

● Tailoring marketing campaigns to demographics

Use Data Visualization to Share Information Your Website

If you have important information that you’d like to share with your customers, use data visualization! For instance, you could use charts and graphs to display numerical data related to your eco-friendly efforts and the result of reducing your carbon footprint. Or maps could show geographic information representing where you source your supplies. 

Or if you’re on the cusp of a major remodel or branding change, a timeline could be the perfect way to present a series of events leading to that change. Additionally, infographics combine different visual elements and text to convey a message or tell a story. By using engaging and interactive data visualization on your website, you can help your customers better understand your business and make informed decisions.

If you’re not sure how to integrate these visuals into your website, set up a consultation with web designer Joseph Manning Designs. 

Data Visualization Can Help Present Findings to Stakeholders

Business leaders need employee and investor buy-in for their various endeavors, big and small. Often, this involves disseminating information that is hard to grasp, especially for external investors with no familiarity with a business’s internal operations or technical processes. Data visualization makes presenting complex information to your stakeholders easier (and easier to understand). It also helps with expectation setting. 

For instance, your goals for the upcoming year, in terms of priority, may be easier to understand with a bar graph in shareable JPG format. If you have JPGs embedded in a PDF file, you can convert the PDF to JPG to extract the graphics you need. This is possible if you use a PDF-to-JPG converter, which turns PDFs (and internal images) into JPG format while maintaining image quality.

You may also want to survey your customers to determine how well you are meeting their needs. You can report on these results through data visualization. But to ensure that you get a representative sample, try using gift cards for research participants. Even a small dollar amount can sway a hesitant customer to complete the survey and get you valuable information. 

You Can Use Apps for Easy Data Visualization 

Thanks to technology, you can visualize data without needing to know data science, having a data scientist on your team, or hiring a designer to make the graphics for you. There are a slew of data visualization apps out there that allow you to quickly create graphics and present your findings. Guru99 offers 25 of the best ones. Many popular apps that you may already use – like Google Sheets and MS Word – have data visualization objects built-in. 

Use Visuals to Your Advantage

Data visualization can be incredibly helpful for business leaders. It allows them to quickly process information and make informed business decisions. Also, it can help you inform, convince, and woo employees, investors, and customers. If you’re not using data visualization already, it’s worth looking into and well worth your time. ​

Image via Unsplash

Categorised in: Website Development

This post was written by jmanning