Data visualization is a tool that helps users understand the relationship between different pieces of information. Visual representations of data are easier to digest than spreadsheets or reports, making them an important part of any business analytics solution.

When you think of data visualization, your mind may immediately turn to simple bar graphs or pie charts. However, these are only the tip of the iceberg; there is a wide variety of visualization methods that can be used to present data in an interesting and informative way. The key to effective data visualization is pairing the right visualization with the right set of information.

For example, if you have information about student performance that can be divided into different categories (say, red, blue, and yellow), you could use a pie chart to show how those different categories relate to one another. However, if you have data that is more complex and cannot be easily summarized with a pie chart, a network graph might be better suited to your needs. Network graphs display how different elements or entities connect to one another, allowing you to identify the underlying relationships in your dataset.

Once you’ve identified the important information that can help you make decisions, the next step is communicating those insights to others in a way that makes them impactful and memorable. By leveraging graphical representations of data, businesses can quickly and effectively analyze large amounts of information to spot trends that might otherwise go unnoticed.

With the advent of big data, businesses need tools to help them analyze and understand huge amounts of information in a quick and efficient manner. Data visualization can be a valuable part of any business intelligence platform, providing companies with the ability to uncover meaningful insights and act on them quickly.

For instance, if you have a lot of customer data about how customers interact with your products, you can visualize that data in a scatter plot to see how the number of interactions correlates with the average value of those interactions. This can help you identify important relationships that can drive sales, customer retention, and other metrics that are important to your business success.

Likewise, marketing teams can use data visualization to analyze their web traffic and social media engagement to identify trends in customer behavior. This can help them make informed choices about their digital marketing strategies, and identify areas that need to be improved. Whether you’re a small or large business, data visualization can help you understand your business and its performance more clearly than ever before. This allows you to make better decisions about your company’s direction, and take action more quickly than before. Ready to get started? Try the free version of Tableau and start visualizing your own data.