Whether it's connecting with customers, closing the
deal with prospective clients, or promoting efficiency within your own
operation, the quest to effectively cultivate and communicate your message is
ongoing. One strategy that has recently gained traction is data visualization. Given
today's fast-paced,
cut-to-the-chase world, this makes perfect sense. We want our information, we
want it now and we don't
want to have to put much thought into digesting it.
The effectiveness of data visualization goes beyond
our shrinking attention spans -- it speaks to our biology, according to Noah
Iliinsky, co-author of Designing Data Visualizations.
“Our visual system is extremely well built for visual
analysis,” Iliinsky explains. “There’s a huge amount of data coming into your brain through
your eyes. Once that data arrives at the brain, it’s rapidly processed by sophisticated software that’s extremely good at tasks such as edge
detection, shape recognition and pattern matching.”
It is this pattern matching, Iliinsky notes, that
makes presenting information visually so beneficial, as it helps us identify
trends, gaps and outliers. In other words, it allows us to see the true meaning
of the data.
For businesses, this begs the question: How do we best
leverage the value of data visualization? Here are three recommendations:
Infographics: the storyteller. As defined by Mashable,
a prominent tech website, infographics are“graphic visual representations of information, data,
or knowledge”that“present complex information quickly and clearly.”Done well, it delivers your message by
weaving together thorough research and compelling copy with an engaging design.
What makes infographics such an effective marketing
tool is two-fold: First, by including SEO-friendly terms, they can drive new
users to your website through increased search visibility. Second, because they
can easily be shared on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, they
have a tendency to go viral, which obviously extends your brand to a wider,
untapped audience.
Dashboards: data central. Businesses generate large
amounts of data on a day-to-day basis, from potential leads, to what products
are selling best and the hours dedicated to each client. Making sense of that
data can be a challenge. Spend a few minutes poring over endless spreadsheets
or reading through an exhaustive report, and it can feel undeniably
overwhelming.
This is where dashboards come in. A centralized
command center that compiles all of your pertinent data, they make it easy to
see what’s going on within your organization.
Stephen Few, a leading user interface dashboard expert, explains it like this: “(a) dashboard is a visual display of the
most important information needed to achieve one or more objectives,
consolidated and arranged on a single screen so the information can be
monitored at a glance.”
Businesses enter data into the back end of the
dashboard, and the dashboard then processes and produces it in a way of your
choosing -- graphs, charts, tables, etc. -- that best fits your needs.
The value that a well thought-out dashboard brings to
your company is far-reaching. It gives you the means to easily analyze trends,
which allows you to hone your marketing strategies, helping you to optimize
sales and customer engagement. It takes the man hours that would previously
have been devoted to sorting through acres of data and redirects them towards
growing your brand. Simply put, dashboards rid your operation of any
unnecessary waste, which, in turn, raises productivity, lowers costs and
increases your bottom line.
Mobile apps: a match made in heaven. While
infographics tell a good story quickly, and dashboards organize and display
your data, mobile apps marry the two together. Designed with a focused flow to
connect with all audiences, apps are a versatile interface for your business,
giving users as much or as little detail as they desire.
For those who want to get a high-level view of your
company, scrolling straight through an app from start to finish will give them
what they are looking for. Working almost as an interactive infographic,
successful apps utilize compelling copy and appealing visuals to construct a
road map of sorts, communicating in broad terms to the user what you are about,
what it is that you do and what you can do for them.
On the other hand, for those who wish to explore your
brand a little deeper, taking advantage of the built-in stops along the way
allows them to drill down and access additional documents, charts, graphs and
other nuts-and-bolts data. It is in these sections of the app where you can
show -- instead of just telling -- the true value you can provide.
Best of all, as the name suggests, mobile apps are,
indeed, mobile. And once they are downloaded to a person's tablet or smartphone, they can be
accessed without an internet connection. This means that no matter where users
go, your brand is always right there with them.
From Entrepreneur
By Khuram Zaman
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