From Numbers to Pictures: Why Visualizing Data is key to the success of your business
From
Numbers to
Pictures
Why Visualizing Data is key to the success of your business.
So you’ve probably noticed since your days playing “kaalvoet”-rugby that data rarely stays in the raw format of columns and digits. There is always some exciting way to visualise data and to quote Willbert Kinnear, “Frustration is only a matter of Perspective”. So if you’re frustrated at looking at boring Excel spreadsheet, always remember that the digits you are staring at might as well be the next Picasso that will tell you something you didn’t know about your business.
"Frustration is only a matter of Perspective"
So, except for the luring attraction of seeing your data in such a beautiful format, what other possible reasons could there be to convert data into mind-bending flows of art? Well, to your brain, this is a feat far easier to accomplish. Pictures are perceived better by your brain in comparison to text. The generation of young millennial business executives prefers a picture-format to understand the state of their business. Instagram realised the power of images far earlier and pertained their strategy to the maximum visuals and the minimum amount of text. This is because our brains can get far more information in a tenth of a second from a visual versus only seeing a matrix of numbers flowing down a spreadsheet.
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Visuals are also committed to your long-term memory. Remembering information is key to making decisions ahead and having a brief time to understand the current state of affairs would require something that will stick to your memory for the time forward. Visuals also tell stories. When it comes to painting a better picture in the minds of those you are trying to get your point across, making it easier for them to relate to on a deeper human level will be a specific catalyst in communicating your ideas and arguments to co-workers and prospective clients.
Visuals will always reveal patterns, trends, changes and correlations far more efficiently over time than trying to spot it in a raw spreadsheet. Visuals also have a great way of simplifying complex data into something more comprehensible. When it comes to data, there are often many factors that help to paint a picture and trying to consider all those factors at one glance without a helpful visual can be quite tedious. Lastly, it is proved that visuals also create a better chance of convincing others of your argument than the use of words only. In a 3M-sponsored study at the University of Minnesota School of Management found that presenters who use visual aids are 43% more effective in persuading audience members than those who didn’t use visual aids.
Are you harnessing the full potential of your business’ data by using compelling visuals to communicate ideas, results and arguments to others? Drivatic can be of great aid to build you the ultimate visuals tool in the form of a dynamic dashboard that will not only paint the best picture possible of your business but make it all come to life when drilling down to the answers you seek.