Building a Plot: Why Data Visualization isn't Data Literacy

One of the biggest misconceptions about #DataLiteracy is the equivalence to #DataVisualization. It's easy to see why, too. Data Visualization is a much-needed part of analytics these days.

But if Data Literacy isn't Data Viz - what is it?

There's a big world of Data and many steps that need to happen before Data Viz. Think of Data Literacy the same way you would when crafting a plot for a story. You don't start with the release as your first step; instead, you start with the planning and development of your plot. Sometimes one of your supporting characters doesn't even come in till toward the end. It's the same way with Data Literacy; it's not that it doesn't have a purpose, but the plot doesn't start with Data Visualization. First, you need to create anticipation.

1. In the Beginning... The Exposition - you must understand the life cycle of data. Where it comes from, what it does, how it's managed. The Exposition sets the tone for the rest of the story. The purpose is to create character buy-in, and our character in this example is Data. Consider this a necessary step for the rest of your story to be successful.

2a. Next, The Rising Action. You've laid the groundwork with Data, by this point you clearly understand it's trials and tribulations from the Exposition. If life were easy for Data you would never want to watch the whole movie or read the story. But, knowing Data is a significant character in your plot; you understand it's purpose. But what happens now? Just like any hero, it needs to be available to others, sometimes unwillingly.

2b. Rising Action cnt'd - Being available to others isn't as straightforward as it usually seems, however. Was Luke Skywalker a willing padawan? No! He complained an awful lot before he was able to lift some giant rocks. You must help others to understand that with GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY. It's essential to instill a sense of purpose and responsibility with Data. Teaching foundational knowledge so that one day, others can use Data to be heroes.

3. But, a twist! The Turning Point - you've done everything possible, you've taught what Data is, what it looks like, and how to use it responsibly. Data is available for the taking! But will it be what you hoped it would be? Only by democratizing the data will you find out...

4. Oh No! Falling Action! The people using Data didn't understand everything! Continuous vs. Discrete? Joins? What about aggregations or chart usage? The horror!! You hadn't prepared them with real-life business types of questions. They're being eaten alive by the c-suite.

5. Alas - The Conclusion - You were able to provide ongoing enablement for sound data concepts, when to use specific data types, when to dive deeper, understand audiences, and then create a beautiful Data Viz to wrap a cute bow on it. The hero of our story bows out....and release.

The Moral of our #DataLiteracy Story - Data Viz is the conclusion at the end of a story. It has a purpose: to inform. To make it visually easy to see what data can't tell us otherwise. But there's a lot that takes place before that release - be responsible with your data.