As a data and business analyst, I have learned three major things about information and how it is presented:
- Garbage in, garbage out. If the data we are collecting or using is garbage, so will be any charts, KPIs or anything displayed on top of that data.
- Data can tell you whatever you want it to. I can take the same datasheet and tell you that your company is performing piss poor, or that it has never been better. Framing and context matters.
- The people who are receiving the information need to actually care about what they are viewing. What exactly are we measuring, how are we measuring it, is it even useful to measure this thing in that way? Ultimately, data is only a supporting piece of an overall narrative, and people need to care about that narrative. Otherwise I can just spit out any data point at you and you will probably take it at face value.
This isn’t to say that all data is a lie, much to the contrary. Many people at many points spend lots of time ensuring that what they are presenting is accurate. But were the requirements for that data/graph/KPI good? Are you as the viewer actually taking the time to understand what is shown? If you ever are going to use data to support an argument/narrative, make sure you know what that data truly represents, otherwise it is probably better left unspoken. I would rather be silent than talk out of my ass.
Source: A comment on YouTube made by TheBenLemonade