Data Visualization for Projects: How to Get Your Message Across

Mike Donoghue is a member of a multinational information technology corporation where he collaborates on the communications guidelines and customer relationship strategies affecting the interactions with internal and external clients. He has analyzed, defined, designed and overseen processes for various engagements including product usability and customer satisfaction, best practice enterprise standardization, relationship/branding structures, and distribution effectiveness and direction. He has also established corporate library solutions to provide frameworks for sales, marketing, training, and support divisions.

  Business Intelligence   Communications Management   Strategy  

Data can be just represented simply as a bunch of numbers and graphs, but it can also be a great deal more. That link points to an amazing diagram that interactively demonstrates how information can be represented on a grand scale. The image is as dynamic as technology as well, giving the viewer the ability to hone in on details and get into the nitty-gritty hotspots that are riddled throughout it. Because of this design, this presentation method provides for different levels of comprehension, for a variety of audiences.

The name of the diagram is called “How the Recession Reshaped the Economy in 255 Charts” and is an extreme (if not beautiful) piece of data accumulation and presentation, pulling together information on job numbers from 255 unique industries over the last decade. At first glance, it appears to be simple plotted lines on the screen, but within a second of scrolling into the information, amazing details expand to demonstrate the granular significance of each captured segment and how it can be transposed over all the data segments.

Most of us use basic handouts and slideshows in our attempt to elaborate on the complexities of projects. Unfortunately, this can lead to long and tedious presentations that also lead to greater degrees of confusion. The adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” is one that can aptly be put to the …

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