Data doesn’t speak for itself: Why data storytelling is important
Almost all data is a recording of past events – what has happened before. People have to explore and analyze it to find historical truth, in the hopes it can reveal trends, inform the next direction to take, and act as a guide for the actions necessary to improve the future.
For analysts in an organization who can read data presented as is – on dashboards, reports, charts – this traditional analytical process may be enough to make sense. But not everyone can consume or understand data shown upfront, or extract value from it.
Helping everyone understand what’s happening and getting them invested in taking action to get toward your ideal state, then, can only occur when you use the right skills and right analytics tools to not only communicate the data well, but make it memorable.
This need is why data storytelling is so important right now – especially because telling stories with data will be the most widespread way of consuming our analytics by 2025.
In this blog, we want to focus on the many reasons data storytelling is as important as any other modern analytics initiative in helping your users make decisions today.
Firstly, to make data more useful for decision-making for people who aren’t experts, it must be given a clear and compelling voice. Problems and opportunities (the what) may just be numbers on a dashboard at this point; possibly interesting, but not clear for everyone on what to do next.
Combining narrative with data is a great way for organizations to better explain the ‘why’ behind the results, and tell an engaging story of how an insight was discovered or conclusion was drawn, so everyone can connect with and understand why it’s important:
These complex questions aren’t so easily conveyed in dashboards or charts alone. The answers require nuance, interpretation and sometimes arguments, for people to ‘get’ it.
Because storytelling is a fundamental human skill and proven way of articulating information, deploying it as part of the analysis process enables you to better blend data with written and visual communication, and provide more direct answers around insights.
It’s why Yellowfin offers Stories and Present, dedicated data storytelling products of the Yellowfin BI suite, to allow all users to explain and consume discoveries in a long-form or presentation-friendly medium, as part of their everyday analytics experience.
When people better understand the ‘why’ – the context or results – the next step is getting them to change, influence, or inspire their next decision, and how they make it.
The point of sharing findings from data is to move from identifying a problem or opportunity toward a resolution or action. But different audiences require different levels of evidence, and may only act if you persuade them to do so. Combining storytelling with data aids this process.
Regular business users may not get anything out of your in-depth dashboard filled with visualizations, but they may feel compelled to act after consuming a story with your personal perspective on a discovery that sheds light on the context behind the numbers.
Similarly, people who appreciate hard numbers over anecdotes will be convinced by a story that combines analysis with a detailed technical breakdown. A standard report may provide evidence, but it’s the opportunity for a longer-form narrative that inspires action.
Bringing data from operational dashboards, countless tables, and complex charts into a story isn’t just valuable for the added context it provides (which numbers on their own can’t), but in its ability to create a more data-driven culture throughout your organization.
Many companies adopt embedded BI to not just have the latest tools, but to ensure everyone in the business gets on the same page around what’s happening and why.
