Practical Tableau

Chapter 95. Tip #10: Use Callout Numbers

Callout numbers are one of the easiest ways to communicate what is most important to you in your data-driven story. A Google Images search for “callout” provides several examples of speech bubbles, thought bubbles, and Batman-style “BAM”/“POW” graphics. While I typically do not enclose my callout numbers in such an illustration, they share the purpose of explicitly telling the main story in your data visualization.

Callout numbers, as I’m calling them, are simply oversized numbers that should be in a legible font that is easy to consume. As these callout numbers will be communicating the most important numbers in your view, they should be prioritized near the top and left of your dashboard. For more on prioritizing and laying out content, review Chapter 90.

In Tip #4 (Chapter 89), I discussed keeping your data visualizations simple. This is a critical concept if you want to cut through the noise and be as effective as possible at communicating the story in your data. Callout numbers provide a means for cutting through the noise, even within your own views.

Here is an example from my portfolio using callout numbers. This viz includes two numbers that stand out: 42 (Jackie Robinson’s number that is retired league-wide), and 71 (the number of seasons without integration in MLB). The end users can see instantly what the dashboard is about and why I think the content is important. From there, they can decide whether or not they want to explore ...