Data Visualisation

Unit-15
Storytelling

Semester-03
Master of Computer Application
 UNIT

Storytelling

Names of Sub-Units

Communicating with Data, What Makes Data Communication Effective, Bringing Out the Story
Through Colour and Formatting, How to Export Graphs From Excel, Plotly and Tableau, Common
Problems Faced with Each Tool While Exporting Graphs, Considerations to be Kept in Mind While
Exporting

Overview

This unit begins by discussing about the concept of storytelling. Next, the unit discusses the
communicating with data, what makes data communication effective and bringing out the story
through colour and formatting. Further the unit explains how to export graphs from Excel, plotly and
tableau and common problems faced with each tool while exporting graphs. Towards the end, the unit
discusses the considerations to be kept in mind while exporting.

Learning Objectives

In this unit, you will learn to:

 Discuss the concept of storytelling
 Explain the concept of communicating with data and what makes data communication effective
 Describe bringing out the story through colour and formatting
 Explain the significance of how to export graphs from Excel, plotly and tableau and common
problems faced with each tool while exporting graphs
 Discuss the considerations to be kept in mind while exporting
 Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit, you would:

 Evaluate the concept of storytelling
 Assess the concept of communicating with data and what makes data communication effective
 Evaluate the importance of bringing out the story through colour and formatting
 Determine the significance of how to export graphs from Excel, plotly and tableau and common
problems faced with each tool while exporting graphs
 Explore the considerations to be kept in mind while exporting

Pre-Unit Preparatory Material

 [Link]

15.1 INTRODUCTION
Data storytelling is the process of creating an engaging narrative based on complex data and analytics
that support the content of your story in order to influence and inform a specific audience. Data
storytelling creates an engaging narrative by presenting data in context to demonstrate the issues,
insights and solution of a specific business problem. It usually tells a story by emphasizing a series of
changes or trends through time with connected graphics. Data may be utilised to guide prospective
actions and stories can be used to engage or motivate people. Any data analysis that allows users to
take action with it requires you to tell the story of your data.

The objective of most business narratives is to persuade consumers to buy a product, join a group, or
make a similar decision. When you display data in the form of a narrative that conveys the story behind
it, you provide context and increase the effect of the story on internal and external customers.

The emotional involvement produced by an engaging narrative is the difference among raw data and
stories, the tipping point that will get your users or audiences to take action. The facts and concepts
mentioned in a normal presentation are remembered by only 5% of listeners, whereas 63 percent
remember the stories used to explain key concepts.

15.2 COMMUNICATING WITH DATA

Data Communications (DC) is the process of transferring data from one location to another or between
parties utilising computing and communication tools.

In tableau storytelling, the communication with data takes places by the following steps:

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 Step 1: To collect the data.
 Step 2: Connect your data with tableau.

 Step 3: Create a parameter and a calculated field that matches it.

 Step 4: Create the basic Slope graph.
 Step 5: Adjust the thickness and colour of the lines.
 Step 6: Create a dashboard.

15.3 WHAT MAKES DATA COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVE?

There is no fixed method for creating an effective data story, therefore, there are some of the key
parameters that the storyteller should consider and they are as follows:
 Understanding the audience: It is essential to consider the audience’s expectations, profile and the
level of knowledge. An effective story may be created by aligning the analysis with the KPIs and
crafting the story with the audience in mind.
 Aligning story and visuals: The graphics you choose are essential for communicating with your
audience. The dashboard’s ability to answer contextual questions is the most effective method. Each
selected visual should be linked with the question as well. For visual organising and placement,
visual linearity and a cascade approach are essential.
 Structuring the narrative logic: The story should follow a logical pattern that relates to the
organisation’s goal and problem description. The final goal should be to target business aspects
without straying too far from the business domain.
 Contextual reinforcement: A story that is not understood in context is essentially useless. The listener
is kept interested in the storyteller’s point of view by describing the background and reinforcing
the context. A better impact on the audience can be achieved by providing a clear explanation to the
user through a proper introduction, simple facilitation, structured flow and comments on the
outcomes.
 Simplicity: The information to be given should be simple, clear and accessible to the users. Data
manipulation should be avoided as much as possible and users should be able to interact with the
storyteller based on the data presented.

15.4 BRINGING OUT THE STORY THROUGH COLOUR AND FORMATTING

Colors communicate with us on an emotional level and speak a language louder than words. You
must utilise the power of colour to effectively communicate your intended message. Colors produce a
chemical reaction in the brain, which results in an emotional reaction. They create memories, ideas and
associations with specific places, people and events.

Long-wavelength colours, such as red produce a rapid recognition reaction in the brain. Blue and other
colours with a shorter wavelength are more relaxing and can really lower blood pressure and pulse
rate. Yellow is a colour with a medium wavelength that attracts attention.

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In order to make excellent charts, colour selection is very important. A good color palette will focus
attention to the story you want the data to tell, whereas a bad one will hide or distract from the
visualisation’s objective.

15.4.1 Types of Color Palette

Three types of color palette in data visualisation are as follows:
 Qualitative palettes
 Sequential palettes
 Diverging palettes
 Qualitative palettes: When the variable is categorical, a qualitative palette is used. Categorical
variables are those that have distinct labels but are not ordered in any way. Country or state, race
and gender are all examples of categorical variables. A colour from a qualitative palette is assigned
to each conceivable value of the variable. In a qualitative palette, the colours assigned to each group
must be distinct. As a rule of thumb, limit your palette to ten or fewer colours. It becomes harder
to discern distinguish between groups when there are more colours than this. If you have more
possible values than colours, combine them into a single “other” category, for example. Looping
through colours numerous times is not a good idea because it can cause confusion.
 Sequential palettes: When the variable to be colored is numeric or has fundamentally ordered
values, a sequential palette can be used to represent it. Data values in a continuum are assigned
colours, which are commonly based on brightness, color, or both.
For a sequential palette, the color’s lightness is the most visible aspect. Lower values are typically
related to brighter colours, whereas higher values are related to darker colours. However the plots
typically have white or other light backgrounds. The contrary instance, when greater values are
shown with brighter, lighter hues, is frequently seen on a dark background.
A colour palette’s hue serves as the secondary dimension. It is acceptable to only use one colour for
your colour map, mostly altering the luminance to denote value. However, as an additional encoding
help, it is worthwhile to take into account spanning between two hues. Typically, a warmer hue (such
as one that leans toward red or yellow) will be lighter than a cooler colour (such as one that tends
toward green).
 Diverging palettes: We can use a diverging palette if our numeric variable has a core value that
is meaningful, like zero. A diverging palette is essentially a two successive palettes joined together
at the central value by a shared endpoint. Colors on one side of the centre are given values greater
than the centre, while colours on the other side are given lesser values.
To make it simpler to identify between positive and negative values relative to the centre, each of the
component sequential palettes often uses a separate colour. The centre value is typically given a light
hue, just like in sequential palettes, such that darker colours signify more distance from the centre.

15.4.2 Formatting
Tableau offers a wide range of formatting choices for customising the appearance of visuals. Almost every
component, such as font, colour, size and layout, can be changed. You can format both the text and the
containers, such as tables, axes labels and workbook themes, among other things.

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Some of the frequently used formatting options are as follows:
 Formatting the axes
 Change the font
 Change the shade and alignment
 Formatting the borders

15.5 HOW TO EXPORT GRAPHS FROM EXCEL, PLOTLY AND TABLEAU?

Microsoft Excel is the most widely used spreadsheet programme due to its extensive feature set. It is a
Microsoft-developed commercial spreadsheet application for Windows and Mac OS. It has the ability to
conduct simple calculations, generate macros, create pivot tables and create graphs, all of which are
extremely valuable.

Excel, like other spreadsheet applications, manages and manipulates data by using a collection of cells
organised in rows and columns. They can use line graphs, histograms and charts to represent data.

Exporting Graph from Excel

To export the graphs from Excel follow the given steps:

 Step 1: Click on the graph you want to export in the tableau reader.
 Step 2: Click on the Worksheet in the menu, hover over Export then click on Cross tab to Excel.
 Step 3: After clicking on Cross tab to Excel, a Excel file is created related to your data, the click on
Save.

Exporting Graph from Tableau

Tableau is an important and quickly growing data visualisation tool in the business intelligence industry.
It assists in the simplification of raw data into a format that is simple to understand.

To export the graphs from tableau follow the given steps:

 Step 1: Click on the graph you want to export in the tableau reader.
 Step 2: Click on the Worksheet in the menu, after hovering over Export, click on the graph.
 Step 3: Select your preferred graph options in the Export Image window and click Save.

Exporting Graph form Plotly

The plotly python library is an open-source interactive library. This can be a very useful tool for data
visualisation as well as quickly and easily analysing the data. Plotly graph objects provide a high-level,
user-friendly interface to plotly. It can create scatter plots, line charts, bar charts, box plots, histograms,
pie charts and other graphs and charts.

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To export the graphs from plotly follow the given steps:
 Step 1: Click on the graph you want to export.
 Step 2: Click on View in the menu, after hovering over Export then, then one can go ahead and select
‘. csv’ or ‹. xlsx’ from all the mentioned popup menu.

15.6 COMMON PROBLEMS FACED WITH EACH TOOL WHILE EXPORTING GRAPHS
Some of the problems faced while exporting graphs using each tool are as follows:
 Handle an unlicensed server: Handle an unauthorised server is a known issue with Tableau, which
is further divided into two parts:
Two granting models are presented in the scene
 Handle an unlicensed VizQL server process: On the Tableau Server Status page, there are a
few status indicators that help you understand the location of Tableau Server forms. One of the
VizQL server forms cannot recover the Tableau Server permit data, as shown by an orange-
shaded status box with the word “Unlicensed” in it.
 Cookie restriction error: A session reward is stored in the client’s desktop software when they
sign into Tableau Server. The put away procedure is how Tableau Server ensures that the data
entered by the client has been verified and is capable of reaching the server. The treatment is
considered a first-party treatment since it uses a space or sub-area that is comparable to the
program’s address bar. A client won’t be able to sign in to Tableau Server if their software is set
up with square first-party treats.
User-Based Server without Permits
 Troubleshoot trusted authentication: Some frequent problems and errors that you could run
into while implementing trusted authentication are included in this list of Tableau known issues.

15.7 CONSIDERATIONS TO BE KEPT IN MIND WHILE EXPORTING

When exporting data from a Tableau source to [Link] file, keep the following points in mind:
 Although Tab cmd allows you to export a CSV file, the typical dashboard user won’t find it to be very
useful.
 Users can select a specific sheet on a dashboard and export it using the small button on the toolbar;
however doing so may present a few additional issues.
 The CSV output would be outside of your control.
 It’s possible that you don’t want to display the toolbar, which would prevent export.
 To get it just right, people would need to receive special training on where to click.
 You must duplicate every record in the view in order to copy a crosstab. A subset of records cannot
be copied.

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 If the view has continuous dimensions, such as continuous hours and dates, you cannot copy a
crosstab.
 Only aggregated views can be copied when using crosstabs. Since a crosstab is by definition an
aggregated view of data, it cannot be used on disaggregated views of data. As a result, for a crosstab
to be successfully copied, the Aggregate Measures option on the Analysis Menu must be chosen.

15.8 LAB EXERCISE

1. Make a Presentation Using Graphs (Excel and/or Plotly and/or Tableau) Explaining What Insights
you Gathered from the Data Analysis and Visualisation.
Export data from Excel:

Presentation of data on PowerPoint:

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2. Make a Story Presentation in Tableau.

Conclusion 15.9 CONCLUSION

 Data storytelling is the process of creating an engaging narrative based on complex data and
analytics that support the content of your story in order to influence and inform a specific audience.
 Data communications (DC) is the process of transferring data from one location to another or
between parties utilising computing and communication tools.
 Colors produce a chemical reaction in the brain, which results in an emotional reaction.
 A diverging palette is essentially a two successive palettes joined together at the central value by a
shared endpoint.
 Microsoft Excel is the most widely used spreadsheet programme due to its extensive feature set.
 Tableau is an important and quickly growing data visualisation tool in the business intelligence
industry.
 The plotly python library is an open-source interactive library.

15.10 GLOSSARY

 Data storytelling: The process of creating an engaging narrative based on complex data and
analytics that support the content of your story in order to influence and inform a specific audience
 Data communications: The process of transferring data from one location to another or between
parties utilising computing and communication tools

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 Colors: A chemical reaction in the brain produce by colors, which results in an emotional reaction
 Diverging palette: A two successive palettes joined together at the central value by a shared
endpoint in the diverging palette
 Microsoft Excel: The most widely used spreadsheet programme due to its extensive feature set
 Tableau: An important and quickly growing data visualisation tool in the business intelligence
industry
 Plotly: An open-source interactive python library, a very useful tool for data visualisation as well as
quickly and easily analysing the data

15.11 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

A. Essay Type Questions

1. What do you understand by the concept of storytelling?
2. Explain the significance of data communication.
3. Describe the importance of colors in data visualisation.
4. Evaluate the concept of Excel and how we can export graph from Excel?
5. Describe the problems occurs while exporting graphs in tableau.

15.12 ANSWERS AND HINTS FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

A. Hints for Essay Type Questions

1. Data storytelling is the process of creating an engaging narrative based on complex data and
analytics that support the content of your story in order to influence and inform a specific audience.
Refer to Section Introduction
2. Data communications (DC) is the process of transferring data from one location to another or
between parties utilising computing and communication tools. Refer to Section Communicating
with Data
3. Colors communicate with us on an emotional level and speak a language louder than words. Refer to
Section Bringing out the Story through Colour and Formatting
4. Microsoft Excel is the most widely used spreadsheet programme due to its extensive feature set.
Refer to Section How to Export Graphs from Excel, Plotly and Tableau?

5. Some of the problems faced while exporting graphs using each tool are as follows:
 Handle an unlicensed server: Handle an unauthorised server is a known issue with Tableau,
which is further divided into two parts:

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  Two granting models are presented in the scene
 User-Based Server without Permits
Refer to Section Common Problems Faced with Each Tool While Exporting Graphs

@ 15.13 POST-UNIT READING MATERIAL

 [Link]

15.14 TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION FORUMS

 Discuss with your friends and classmates the concept of storytelling in tableau. Also, discuss the
importance of storytelling with real world examples.

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