Data Authors: Skilled Designers of Data Presentations - Data Fluency: Empowering Your Organization with Effective Data Communication - page 115

Even so, knowledge alone does not make your organization better. It is the
decisions and actions of people—based on this data-sourced knowledge—
that is the goal. But these decisions are seldom made in a vacuum. In most
organizations, decisions are a collaborative, social experience. People come
together to discuss options, review their knowledge of the situation, and
arrive at a path to go down. Herein is one of the great powers of effective
data products: They can shape and guide these discussions. Conclusions are
seldom clear-cut, even when there is data to support a direction.
Your job as an author of data products isn't necessarily to drive people directly
to data-driven decisions. It is seldom about delivering carefully packaged
answers. Your job is to encourage productive dialogue. You can help people
focus on the right things, be informed, and ask relevant questions.
The outcome of a data fluent organization is informed discussion, better
questions, and new insights about how your organization works, what your
customers need, and how you can better serve them.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
This final section includes a list of principles to consider when you design
data visualizations and data products. Though every data set and situation is
different, these principles offer guidelines that apply in many cases and can
improve what you deliver to your audience.
VISuALIZATIONS
When creating charts and tables for presenting data, the following eight design
principles are worth considering before you click Print or Send.
1. Reduce chart-junk and increase data-to-ink ratio. These are the first
two recommendations from Edward Tufte, well-known information design
expert. Reduce chart junk by removing elements that are decorative or
ornamental. Three-dimensional chart effects, for example, add nothing
of value to your chart. Increase data-to-ink ratio by making every pixel
tell a story about your data. Watch as Figure 5-24 is gradually stripped of
extraneous chart junk.