A case for transforming abstract data into Physical at no cost.

In this era where we are swamped by an avalanche of software solutions to create a visualisation, no solution can “do it all” empowering us with the full flexibility to think outside the box and express the message to our heart’s content.

We create visualizations to assist us to tell a story about the information we’ve gathered, a narrative that draws our audience’s attention to meaningful patterns and key insights amid all the pieces of data. Help our audience to see the big picture, “to conserve the forest, rather than counting every tree”

All the software’s /Illustration tools support us to express our story only within the capabilities that are included within the application. There are many occasions we feel limited in our ability to express ourselves. and it's important to remember

“select the tool according to the message we want to convey and don’t be limited by the application we have access to, to define your message.”

Furthermore, there are times where we do not have enough capital to invest in highly sophisticated tools and professionals to handle the tool, but we still want to tell a tale to our audience that will motivate them to act. We may be a student, an educator, community activist, non-profit organization, small business owner, journalist, researcher, or anyone who wants to transform data from spreadsheets into an engaging interactive narrative.

So, how can we get through this roadblock?

“Visualize by hand” — start a project with a pen and paper or a whiteboard.

This will aid us in contemplating how to communicate the message to the target audience by choosing the Right visual. A clean sheet of paper or a whiteboard, coloured pencils, pens, or markers, and our boundless imagination is all we need.

Hands-on Visualization: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Write down the problem on a piece of paper.
2. Rephrase the problem as a question.
3. Use illustrations and symbols to show how you'll find the information.
4. Make a rough sketch of the types of visualisations you want to make.?
5. Create a Storyboard.

This exercise will help us

First, by transferring ideas from your mind to paper, we will make the thinking more visible to others and ourselves. Once we have sketched out the ideas, one can think about them, seek feedback, cross out the ones that aren't working, and replace them with better ones on fresh sheets of paper. If the initial sketches are too complex or unclear, divide them into several sheets to make them more coherent.

Second, we can treat our sheets as if they were a storyboard. Start defining the three important phases of your story: the beginning, middle, and end by moving them by reordering the sheets. These pages can assist us in organising our thoughts on how we can tell our data story to a bigger audience.

The advantage of visualising without digital means is firstly we can quickly sketch data with no constraints and assist in the development of a viable concept. Secondly, Any intricate shape that comes to the mind can be used to represent our idea. We are not constrained by code, features, text styles, etc and finally, we are enabled to transmit the message from the heart, thereby engaging with our audience to act, outside of the landscape presented on the screen with any quantity of data and in any shape.

So Remember Don't set limitations on our challenges; instead, push them. Take abstract data and turn it into a physical experience...... to a different realm in data visualisation.