Practical Tableau

Chapter 86. Tip #1: Know Your Audience

There are not many tactics that are going to improve the chances of your data visualization making a difference around the workplace more than tip #1: know your audience. Before you create a single chart that you intend to share, putting some thought into who will see that chart will dramatically improve your data visualization.

My favorite analogy for this concept is the old Southwest Airlines Wanna Get Away? campaign. In one of the commercials, a rapper performing at a concert mistakenly and passionately thanks the audience by saying “Thank you, Detroit—we love you!” The crowd begins to boo and another performer informs the speaker that “Detroit was last night.” I have actually been at several concerts where the artist on stage thanks the home crowd by name. Even though the performer surely thanks every stop’s hometown in the same way, hearing your own city’s name provokes a great sense of pride and is usually an easy way to make a connection with the audience. Get it wrong, however, and the city shout-out has an equally, if not more, negative impact on the crowd.

This same principle can be applied to your own corporate dashboards. Knowing your audience goes a long way to making a connection and maximizes the chances that your end user will understand and happily adopt the reports that you have created. Get it wrong, and you risk permanently damaging the chances of getting your visualizations off the ground around the office. Think about ...