Data Authors: Skilled Designers of Data Presentations - Data Fluency: Empowering Your Organization with Effective Data Communication - page 79

Chapter 5
Data Authors:
Skilled Designers of
Data Presentations
Data product authors (or data authors, as we'll use for shorthand)
aren't just concerned with getting data on the page. That's like
saying writers are just collecting enough words to fill a book . . . or
movie directors are shooting purely to capture a few hours' worth
of film. Rather, data authors, and the presentations they craft, must
have a specific, targeted purpose. And the purpose must be directed
at the audiences of the data products. Data can both help explain
how things are, and how they could be, but data becomes truly
powerful only when it informs, instructs, and leads to smart discus-
sions, decisions, and actions.
Skilled data authors are an essential element in our data fluency framework
(Figure 5-1). Your challenge as an author of data products is to build a bridge
of understanding between your data and the intended audience. This bridge
requires that your audience can interpret the data as presented, understand
its relevance, and consider the implications and available actions.