Tell better stories with data visualisation

“Different stakeholders want to hear different stories from data, so giving them the tools to tailor what they need is key.” 

Ian Niblock, Senior Director Product Development, MRI Software 

When making big strategic decisions, the ability to tell a story that can move a person to action is a very powerful tool. The only thing more powerful than a compelling story? A story that’s backed up with data.  

When we layer in the use of visual data, we begin to see the real power of a BI tool. If we can present complex information in an easy-to-understand way, and layer in the human element of storytelling, then we can encourage more confidence in our business cases, annual planning sessions or any key, strategic decision your organisation needs to make. 

Any great visual data story will:  

• Reveal patterns and trends that need to be acted on  
• Streamline large amounts of data into simple visuals that can be understood immediately  
• Provide context to your numbers, as you build a compelling narrative 
• Support a clear action plan and inform your next steps 
• Leave yourself and your team feeling confident in your decisions 

The importance of customisable dashboards

Personalised dashboard views are incredibly important to help your teams to build stories with data visualization. 

Inflexible BI platforms will only satisfy fifty percent of your stakeholders. Depending on their roles, people read and interact with data differently, so you could build a dashboard and put it out there but it may not provide the exact information and drill-downs different users need. This is why careful consideration must be given at the start of the project to ensure project leaders and third-party vendors are the right fit. It comes down to making your BI as configurable as possible, allowing users (based on their role) to change the way they interact and look at things.  

‘Our users can easily get to and understand their insights dashboard, and if they want, they can play with them and modify them to their own needs.’ 

Alec Davies, CIO at Growthpoint Properties 

Customise BI

Effective data storytelling requires customisation to cater to different user needs: 

• User Preferences: Allow users to tailor dashboards to their needs and roles. 

• Configurable Visualisations: Design with options on how data can be displayed and interacted with. 

• User feedback: Refine dashboards based on user preferences and changing requirements 

Optimise BI by encouraging user adoption

You’ve built these great tools but now your teams need training and education on how to use them. Create a training programme for users to help understanding and encourage use. 

Tip: provide BI drop-in sessions or ‘power hour’ meetings to cover off Q&A, best practice and gain feedback.
 

Keen to know more?

Interested to hear how MRI Agora Insights can help your business? Book a discovery call with our friendly team today. 

Keep reading

This article is the fourth in a series about making smarter decisions through AI-powered business insights. Keep reading to discover how to use AI to interact with your data.