You’re working remotely and need to visualize data. What are the best practices?

1 Know your purpose

Before you start designing your data visualization, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. What is the main message or story you want to convey? Who is your target audience and what are their needs and expectations? How will they access and interact with your visualization? These questions will help you define the scope, format, and style of your data visualization, as well as the type and amount of data you need to include.

4 Follow design principles

Data visualization is not only about data, but also about design. You need to apply some basic design principles to make your data visualization appealing, readable, and informative. Some of these principles are: use colors, fonts, and shapes that are consistent, harmonious, and relevant; use labels, titles, legends, and annotations that are clear, concise, and accurate; use white space, alignment, and contrast to create balance and hierarchy; and use filters, tooltips, and transitions to add interactivity and functionality.

5 Test and refine

Before you share your data visualization with your remote audience, you need to test and refine it to ensure that it works as intended and that it delivers your message effectively. You can test your data visualization by checking for errors, inconsistencies, or ambiguities in your data, design, or functionality. You can also ask for feedback from your colleagues, friends, or a sample of your audience, and use their suggestions to improve your data visualization. Finally, you can review your data visualization against your purpose and audience, and make any necessary adjustments.

6 Share and present

The last step is to share and present your data visualization with your remote audience. You need to choose the best way to deliver your data visualization, depending on your purpose, audience, and tool. You can share your data visualization as a static image, a dynamic web page, a downloadable file, or an embedded element in another document or platform. You can also present your data visualization live or recorded, using video conferencing, screen sharing, or narration tools. Whatever method you use, you need to ensure that your data visualization is accessible, engaging, and actionable for your remote audience.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?