The Data Product Ecosystem - Data Fluency: Empowering Your Organization with Effective Data Communication - page 171

The Apple App Store has strict guidelines for applications that are made
available to customers. Apple publishes design guidelines, enforces a rigor-
ous review process, and provides tools that help app developers get their
designs right. As a result, consumers of Apple applications get a consistent,
high-quality experience. The design focus allows novice users to quickly learn
a new app because they have come to understand common conventions and
design practices.
You should consider four areas when building an environment that infuses
good design into your data products:
1. Train your data authors on the design skills for communicating data.
Chapter 5 describes many of the areas of content that are foundational
knowledge. The best information designers are discriminating in what
data they choose to present and thoughtful about choosing metrics that
encourage appropriate behaviors. They have the ability to create a logical
flow through a series of attractive and clear data visualizations. There are
also practical design skills to teach. For example, we always create wire-
frames—rough mock-ups of user interfaces—before building the actual
data presentations. In this way, we can experiment with layout and content
using rapid, lightweight iterations.
2. Incorporate designers early in the development process. Many of the
organizations we work with go from concept to development of data
products without considering the best way to communicate the data.
When an executive wants a dashboard with a set of required metrics, the
data analyst gets right to work on putting all the content together. The
analyst might meet the specific requirements, but not in a form that any-
one wants to consume. One client referred to these types of reports and
dashboards as “ransom notes” because of the great variation in styles on
the page. Designers should be included early in the requirements gather-
ing process—not at the last moment to try to polish graphics.
3. Document guidance to ensure consistent designs. Many of the best
practices and information design advice shared in Chapter 5 can be gath-
ered into documents for designers. We have had success working with
clients to create style guides for information design and communication.
In addition, templates for reports, presentations, spreadsheet models, and
dashboards can give designers a consistent starting point for their work.
We also make sure to capture design patterns and principles as a way to
establish models for approaching similar problems.