
Course introduction and meet the instructor
a. Define how people use data visualizations and discuss the advantages of using charts and graphs to tell a story
b. Discuss components of an effective data visualization; informative, appealing, and efficient
a. Discuss advantages of using Tableau for data visualizations (intro to Tableau Public – free tool)
b. Demonstrate how to connect to data and create a chart; explain measures & dimensions
c. Introduce the Show Me option as a quick start
a. Explain how different types of memory is used to interpret visualizations
b. Define preattentive attributes and how they impact a user’s ability to interpret data visualizations
c. Demonstrate why we need to reduce cognitive load (the amount of mental effort being used in the working memory)
a. Describe the guidelines that help choose the most appropriate chart type(s) to answer specific questions of your data
b. Demonstrate the use of Tableau’s Show Me option for easy chart selection & recommendation
c. Formatting tips for specific chart types (e.g. maps, bar charts, line charts, etc.)
a. Discuss the different uses of color (sequential, diverging, categorical, highlight, & alert); color needs to be used intentionally to tell a story
b. Limit color usage to less than 5 in a dashboard
c. Consider those with color vision deficiency
a. Demonstrate how to format the axes, zero Lines, borders, legends, & filters
b. Customize font types & size and number formats
c. Using titles effectively
d. Leveraging Tooltips to reduce cognitive load; formatting Tooltips
a. Decide on dashboard size and whether you’ll use Floating vs. Tiled
b. Discuss the need to hide sheets from view
c. Demonstrate how to avoid scrollbars using fit options
d. Introduction to Dashboard Actions
e. Review examples of how to take dashboards from good to GREAT
f. Demonstrate how to publish your dashboard to Tableau Public
As the title suggests, the focus of this course is to enable you to take your data visualization skills from good to GREAT. The awesome thing about tools like Tableau is that they are fairly simple to pick up. You would probably be able to build basic charts and dashboards within minutes of interacting with the tool. However, there are so many ways to customize, format, and incorporate user interactivity that it takes practice to create dashboards that not only look amazing but are also user-friendly.
I designed this course for data analysts/scientists who are passionate about data visualization that may find it challenging to create dashboards that are not only visually appealing but also user friendly and well-received by their audience.
The course will cover various aspects of data visualization best practices such as the proper use of color, choosing the right chart, reducing clutter, and other ways to take your dashboards from good to GREAT!