Helping you become a more effective information designer. You want to create effective data visualizations. That’s hard work. There are so many decisions to make, like chart type, annotations, and color! Will this podcast help? Host and fellow data viz designer Alli Torban is in the trenches with you. She shares the latest tools and methods that she’s discovered while on the job and interviewing top designers. If you’re an analyst, journalist, or designer who wants to hone your skills with specific tactics, then this show could be just what you need.
BONUS: 3 Invisible Tools to Help You Create Faster
What are the invisible tools (i.e. processes or methods) that I use to help me create visualization more efficiently? I pinpointed 3 roadblocks that I encounter frequently, and in this episode, I share the invisible tools that I use to catapult over them and keep moving. Let’s go!
55: How to Get Your First Data Viz Freelance Project — Featuring Dr. Stephanie Evergreen
Are you interested in freelancing or consulting in data visualization? Being your own boss as a full-time freelancer has its own set of unique challenges, and of course, many benefits! But from the outside looking in, it’s hard to know where to even start... How do you find clients? How do you know what to offer? How do you reach out and pitch to potential clients? How do you communicate the value that you bring and know what to charge? How do you make sure you end up getting paid?! There’s so much! But don’t worry, Dr. Stephanie Evergreen joins me today, and I asked her all the questions. Let's go!
54: How to Find New Collaborators and Execute a Complex Project — Featuring Shirley Wu
In this episode, Shirley Wu shares the specific things that she looks for in potential collaborators, the steps she took to execute her innovative People of the Pandemic game, and how she overcame her moments of self-doubt under the mounting complexity of creating a game from scratch… Show notes
53: How to Sidestep These 3 Common Sources of Frustration
You feel that mounting frustration in your body and you're about to lose your patience... what could have avoided this?! In this episode, I talk about 3 common sources of frustration and what you can do to sidestep them. Let's go! Show notes
52: How to Keep Your Reader Engaged with Thoughtful Annotations — Featuring Alyssa Fowers
I’ve noticed that many of the really engaging graphics have something in common: really thoughtful annotations. Usually, we think of annotations as a way to communicate context (like the title, subtitle, data labels) or point out outliers or specific events. But what if we thought of annotations as a tool beyond just context. What if we could use annotations to keep the reader more engaged? In this episode, we’ll learn about a recent project by Alyssa Fowers, where she visualized data about protests around the U.S. and the specific things she did to create annotations that made her project more engaging. Let’s go! Show notes
51: Our Advice to Data Viz Designers Just Starting Out
I started this show almost two years ago, and I’ve been asking everyone that I interview: what’s your advice to data viz designers just starting out. Today, I gathered all their advice and wrapped up nicely into this one episode. Let's go! Show Notes
50: How to Fill Your Data Viz Toolbox — a New Years Resolution that won’t drive you crazy
Happy new year! It's time for goal-setting, right? One small thing you can do throughout the year that will make you a better information designer (and not drive you crazy) is focus on building your data viz toolbox. I've been filling my toolbox over these past 50 episodes, and while I'll never be done filling it, the more I fill it, the easier my job is. In this episode, I’ll share with you the top 9 episodes that helped give me a structure for filling my toolbox. Here's to 2020! Show notes
BONUS: A technique to find the underlying emotions in your project
Why do we care about finding the underlying emotion in our project? Because it can help guide us toward visualizing the data in a more meaningful way for our audience. It helps you hone in on their point of view and what they really want. In this bonus episode, I show a quick technique that I learned recently that helps me get to the underlying emotions quickly. Join my newsletter! (you'll get my guided brainstorming template in the welcome email, plus my top tips after each episode) Original data viz about DVS survey results Contagious by Jonah Berger Grafiti.io
49: How to Communicate the Value of Visualizing Data - Planetarians Show the Way
Have you ever been asked the explain the value of visualizing data? I always jump to “it reveals insights you couldn’t see before!” But while I was at the Data2Dome conference last month, I had a light-bulb moment. Revealing insights is just part of the puzzle… In this episode, I share stories of how the planetarium community is using data to engage scientists and the general public in really innovative ways, and then I pull all the pieces together to see our value in a whole new light. Show notes Data2Dome Tips to your inbox! Join my newsletter :)
48: How Connecting Two Charts Can Lead to Extra Impact - Featuring Mohamad Waked
It's no secret that creating two charts to show different views on a data set can be very powerful. But can connecting them somehow make it even more impactful? In this episode, we learn how Mohamad Waked used two charts with a captivating connective tissue to shine a light on a very important issue happening in the world right now. Show notes: www.dataviztoday.com/shownotes/48
47: Charts Can Lie, But Here’s How You Remain Vigilant - Featuring Alberto Cairo
It’s no secret that some charts lie. You might be thinking that only a subset of people who maliciously create a chart to serve their interests are guilty of this, but the truth is, there are many ways in which a chart can lie. You can make a mistake in your design, or use data that’s insufficient, or make conclusions that aren’t accurate. I’m guilty of this, and guess what… so is Alberto Cairo! He wrote a whole book on How Charts Lie based on his experience creating and reading charts. In this episode, I finally got to ask Alberto’s opinion on some burning questions that I have, like how he personally reads charts to assess their quality, how he’d structure a graphics team today to make sure they create quality graphics, and where he thinks we’ll be fighting misinformation in the coming years. Most importantly, he explains why we shouldn’t throw up our hands and give up on charts even when some mislead us. Show Notes Alberto's book How Charts Lie Follow Alberto on Twitter Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter Follow Katherine Mellow on Twitter
BONUS: Build Your Data Viz Board of Directors
Having a data viz mentor is a great resource! BUT... One person doesn't need to be everything to you. Maybe building a Board of Directors could be more helpful. I've built a virtual one that has seats for those who inspire me with - Creativity - Technical Skills - Communication - Introspectiveness - Fellow Data Viz Nerdery In this episode, I talk about who I've chosen for my DVBOD ;) and how I plan to keep in touch with what they're doing virtually. My calendly page :) My newsletter
46: 3 Smart Tips for Building Your Portfolio - Featuring Dillon Winspear from Designed Today
Are you struggling with putting together an effective portfolio? I find it hard to know if I'm using my time efficiently. What do I need to include? When is it enough?!? Luckily, Dillon Winspear is here to help. He's reviewed hundreds of portfolios as a Senior UX Lead at Domo, and I asked for his top tips for building a portfolio. Listen in and learn how to impress your hiring manager even if you only have 10 minutes to spare! Show notes Subscribe to Dillon’s podcast Designed Today Follow Dillon Winspear on Twitter Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter
BONUS: The New Topic Sentence Formula That I'm Using for More Clarity
***BONUS EPISODE! WOOHOO!*** I've been using a new topic sentence formula to help me gain clarity around my data visualizations, and I wanted to share it with you! I hope it's helpful. Let me know if you use something like this too. :)
45: How to Use Data Viz to Bring People Together and Feel Connected - Featuring Amy Cesal and Zander Furnas
Visualization isn't always about revealing the patterns in our data. Sometimes it can be used to bring people together. This featured viz is a project by Amy Cesal and her now-husband Zander Furnas that they created for their wedding to connect their guests to them and each other. In this episode, we'll hear how this project was created, what they’d do differently in retrospect, and what specific questions you need to ask yourself before you start designing data viz to connect people. Show Notes Amy and Zander's Medium article all about the project Follow Amy Cesal and Zander Furnas on Twitter Follow VizTip Correspondent Katherine Mello on Twitter Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter