Data Visualization: 4 Tips for Visualizing Data Effectively

What Is Data Visualization?

Data visualization is the process of representing information and data through visual formats such as charts, tables, and infographics. Its main goal is to make complex data easier to understand and more accessible, helping viewers quickly spot trends, patterns, and key information within the data.

By relying on visual elements instead of raw numbers and text alone, data visualization makes data easier to read and analyze. Compelling visual presentation also improves viewers' retention and engagement, encouraging further learning and exploration of the data. In today's era of Big Data, data visualization has become even more critical to decision-making and business strategy.

4 Tips for Visualizing Data Effectively

Done well, data visualization makes complex data simpler to understand. Done poorly, however, it can distort information and confuse viewers. Businesses should consider the following four tips before visualizing their data:

1. Choose the Right System

A key factor in effective data visualization is choosing a system that supports the process well. The system needs to be able to consolidate scattered data from multiple departments into a single, unified database. It should also integrate BI (Business Intelligence) and data visualization tools within its own solution. This allows the system to not only help businesses collect data, but also search, report, and visualize it more easily and automatically.

It's also important to ensure the system can easily integrate and scale with new tools and data. An ideal system should be able to adapt to changes in data and business needs without requiring major technical overhauls.

2. Understand Who Will Read the Report

The level of detail in a report depends on who will be reading it. Department managers or mid-level leaders, for example, are typically interested in detailed information about day-to-day operations. Senior leadership (the C-suite), on the other hand, needs only high-level, comprehensive information to make strategic decisions.

To account for this, data analysts should build different versions of a report for each specific audience. Each version should be optimized to communicate information clearly, matching the needs and knowledge level of that audience.

3. Understand the Message You Want the Report to Convey

Before deciding on a data visualization strategy, you need to be clear about the message you want your data to convey. For example, are you presenting sales information (e.g. last quarter's revenue versus target), or more financial information (e.g. the correlation between revenue growth and recent marketing spend)? Should this data live on a dashboard for anytime, anywhere access, or be delivered in a weekly report? Getting clear on these details ensures your data visualization delivers useful, actionable insights.

An effective data visualization strategy also needs to be flexible enough to adapt as business goals or data change. This requires ongoing planning and review to ensure the message stays current and relevant to the situation at hand.

4. Invest in Your People's Skills

Most data visualization solutions offer online courses or in-person training sessions to build users' skills. Even when a business already has strong data analysts on staff, managers should still run a quick survey to gauge staff confidence and proficiency, and roll out training where needed.

Investing in training not only improves employees' skills with data visualization tools, but also helps them develop analytical thinking, problem-solving ability, and the capacity to draw useful insights from data.

NetSuite Data Visualization

Whatever the size of your business, NetSuite can help you monitor performance in real time. By consolidating scattered data into a single, unified database, the system breaks down barriers between departments, connecting every function of the business, from the big picture down to the finest detail.

SuiteAnalytics — a built-in BI solution within NetSuite — helps finance teams analyze and visualize data without needing programming skills or complex technical knowledge. SuiteAnalytics gives businesses features such as:

- Saved Search: Delivers real-time results based on the criteria and filters you define, letting you search across hundreds, thousands, or even millions of records to find exactly what you need.

- Reports: Provides easily customizable reports, from standard templates to frequently used ones, tailored to your specific needs.

- Workbook: An analytics tool designed for everyday business users, built for exploring data, creating complex filters, and analyzing data through pivot tables and charts.

- KPIs and Dashboards: Lets you easily view charts from 'Saved Search', 'Reports', and 'Workbook'. This tool provides real-time access to company-wide information anytime, anywhere, on a single system.

Conclusion

This article has outlined four key tips for effective data visualization: choosing the right system, understanding your report's audience and the message you want to convey, and investing in your people's skills. Applying these principles not only optimizes the data analysis process, but also strengthens a business's strategic decision-making.

With the support of powerful tools like SuiteAnalytics, unlocking the full potential of data visualization becomes easier and more effective — creating a competitive advantage and driving sustainable growth for businesses in the age of Big Data.

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