Data visualization

Rather than looking at rows and columns of numbers or text, imagine using colors, shapes, and patterns to represent information in a visual way. This makes it much simpler for our brains to process and interpret the data, thereby helping us understand information and data more easily. With visualizations, we can see trends, patterns, and relationships that might not be apparent in raw data. Then how can we visualize our data?

Visualization tools

Data visualization tools are software programs that we can use to create visual representations of data in an easy and interactive way. They provide a user-friendly interface where we can input our data and choose from various charts, graphs, and other visual elements to display the information visually. For instance, Excel allows us to create simple charts and graphs directly from spreadsheet data.

data-visualization-tools

Power BI, Tableau, Seaborn, and Matplotlib are more advanced tools that offer a wider range of customization options and advanced visualization techniques. For example, Tableau enables us to create interactive dashboards and explore data from multiple perspectives. Seaborn and Matplotlib are Python libraries that provide extensive options for creating complex and aesthetically pleasing visualizations. In this lesson, you'll only learn data visualization using Excel. Other tools will be explored in week 4.

Visualization with Excel

Data visualization using Excel allows us to present data in a visual and easy-to-understand way, even for people without technical expertise. Imagine you have a spreadsheet full of numbers and information. With Excel's charting and graphing features, you can transform those numbers into colorful and meaningful visual representations. For example, you can create bar charts to compare different categories, line graphs to track trends over time, or pie charts to show proportions. These visualizations help us see patterns, relationships, and insights that might be hidden in rows and columns of data.

By presenting information visually, Excel makes it easier for us to grasp and interpret the data, enabling better decision-making and communication. Visualizations also make it easier to share and communicate information with others, as it provides a clear and intuitive way to present complex data. Whether it's in business, science, or everyday life, data visualization helps us make better decisions and gain insights from the vast amounts of information around us.

👩🏾‍🎨 Practice: The Pandemic 🎯

Using the COVID-19 dataset you cleaned in the last practice exercise, create visualizations that provides information about the COVID-19 pandemic.

  1. Explore the dataset to have a sense of what it represent.
  2. Create visuals as you deemed fit. No answer is wrong!
  3. Share your visualization using this padlet.
    • You can like other cool visuals on the padlet as well.

👉🏾 Next, we'll explore some common tools in data science.