Data visualization is the representation of data through easy-to-understand visual attributes, such as charts, diagrams, maps, interactive pieces, and more. It is a way of presenting data that has existed since the time when humans used cave drawings to communicate messages. Today, marketers use data visualization to make decisions.
Valentina Giraldo
Sep 11, 20 | 20 min read
data visualization
Reading time: 16 minutes
When we see images and shapes, our mind is stimulated and performs a cognitive process to give them meaning. Therefore, the process of data visualization is very natural.
However, there is a long way to go to understand how we went from simple drawings to dashboards.
In the meantime, we can reflect on why data visualization is so valuable and how it works.
By doing so, we will understand the importance of visual elements, as well as moving from static and boring communication methods to more dynamic and attractive ones.
Data visualization has become a central idea in today’s marketing practices . If you want to understand everything about this topic, keep reading!
What is data visualizatio It is a process by which
we make a visual representation of data. Think of a set of statistics, such as the results of a survey.
If you choose to publish it in text form it would require a lot of time and effort on the part of readers to assimilate all the information.
Also, having a lot of words in long paragraphs niue email list 150000 contact leads can be tiring and confusing to read. People would have a hard time figuring out what the main message is and pollsters would have trouble conveying a clear message through so many words.
People may have difficulty understanding the effects of smoking on the human body, for example. Through an infographic , however, this message is easily conveyed.
Check out this example from CVS and Huffington Post .
On the other hand, if you choose a visual presentation, you will undoubtedly use images to express this information, such as tables and graphs .
This is data visualization, and it works because it allows people to look at data in a different way, bringing together not just information, but also fine details and new standards.
When we talk about this, we are referring to visual literacy. The process that involves our interpretation of an image is fascinating! Therefore, we use this feature to improve our understanding of the data .
How did data visualization come about
Data visualization as we know it has been around for a long time. In the 18th century, a statistician named William Playfair invented the forms we use so often today.
He is the creator of the line graph, the bar graph, the pizza chart and the circle graph.
During the 19th century, one of the best b2b lead generation today: trends to consider examples that appears is the graph of John Snow, who mapped the cholera outbreak in 1854.
Before that, in 1812, Charles Joseph Minard mapped Napoleon’s March into Russia, plotting his journey on a graph with different features, such as temperature and the number of soldiers left at each location.
Everything started to change when the Industrial Revolution happened and people also started using statistics for commercial purposes.
Later, computers came into the picture. From there, statisticians were finally able to quickly access large amounts of information. Furthermore, they discovered the power to process large data sets and create statistics based on that.
That’s what brought us here. Today we have intuitive and interactive dashboards. Charts tell stories everywhere and are undoubtedly still the most effective way to represent the huge amount of data we handle.
What are the benefits of quality data visualization?
Now, let’s look at some benefits of data visualization. Keep reading!
Allows you to pay more attention to details
You’ve probably already understood that when we use graphics, we can pay much more attention to details than in the traditional way. After all, there betting email list are images, trends, shapes, patterns and a whole universe before our eyes.