Author’s note: This is an update to a post we originally published back in 2013. Some recent site updates resulted in resources moving around and all the links in that post breaking. (Sorry about that!)
I’m pretty sure we’ve already established that, here at Datassist, we dig data visualization. We <3 data viz. If there was a data viz fan club, we’d be the presidents. Visualization can help you reach your audience in new, engaging ways. It facilitates clearer communication of information that might otherwise seem dense and complex. Data viz can increase the impact of your efforts. And that’s especially important to the nonprofits and journalists we work with most.
But trying to model data when you don’t have a lot of expertise or knowledge can be, well… daunting at best. And even though our experts are always happy to lend a hand, we know that bringing in an outside team isn’t always an option.
That doesn’t mean we can’t help.
If you need to model data for your project and don’t have the time or resources to contract out the job, you can still rely on Datassist for guidance and tutorials. Some of these come from our own library of work; some are from other experts in the data viz world who are doing great things.
You can always stay tuned to our blog or newsletter for the latest tips, tools and tricks to help you model data, but in the meantime, here’s a quick list of resources to help you get started.
Getting Started
- Want a primer before diving in? Beth Kanter’s Surviving Data Visualization For Non-Profits is practical and brilliant.
- Want to understand best practices before you begin to model data? Check out this video of Kennedy Elliot’s presentation, Everything We Know About How Humans Interpret Graphics
- Bored of pie charts and bar graphs? There are many other ways to model data. Take a look at Catherine D’Ignazio’s insights on Creative Data Literacy.
- Pretty Little Liars – One of our own blog posts on the importance of statistical literacy in data viz.
Useful Tools
- Tableau is far and away our favourite data visualization tool. (Make sure you also take advantage of Tableau Web Data Connectors.)
- DataBasic is a tool designed by Catherine D’Ignazio and Rahul Bhargava to help nonprofits and journalists with limited data experience tell better data stories.
- Stanford’s Data Wrangler lets you clean your data so you can skip the formatting and cleanup and spend more time on analysis and modelling data.
From Our Blog
- How to Add Public Data to Your Analysis in 7 Easy Steps – Exactly what it says on the tin.
- Visualizing Statistics: How to Make Data More Accessible – Help anyone drawing a conclusion based on numbers be sure they understand the data being presented to them.
- What is the Value of Interactive Data Visualization? Is interactive data visualization just a gimmick or does it have real value? Learn why interactive viz isn’t only about being eye-catching.
Of course, you can always reach out to us for more specific assistance. If you need expert help to model data for your nonprofit, news or social sector organization, we’re here to help. Get in touch with the team at Datassist today.
