I really enjoyed the application process for the data school. It was great to have the freedom to decide what topic I wanted to do and then go ahead and learn how to use a tool that was completely new to me.
I started by finding my data set, loading it into Tableau Public and playing around to see what cool graphs I could make. It was great! After a few hours I had some graphs and charts that I thought looked cool, put them all into a dashboard and sat back and admired my work.
I took a break, came back to my dashboard and started thinking “The charts are cool, but what do they mean?” I looked at some Tableau Public dashboards and realized that my charts had no purpose. There was no reason for them being there. At this point I realized I didn’t have a good piece of work at all.
After a week (and 2 days) at the data school it is clear to me the importance of planning. Having a clear outline of what you are trying to answer or solve means that you don’t spend hours producing graphs and charts that don’t go together and don’t really show anything.
Planning a dashboard includes considering; layout, title, color scheme, order of charts, types of charts, who’s the audience, etc. But most importantly it is always about the audience. Who is the work aimed at and why is is it useful to them. The list of considerations for a dashboard is a way longer list than “Let’s make something cool”.
Having a detailed plan makes such a difference when it comes to making a cohesive piece of work. It gives the charts you make a direction and purpose. You have a clear goal of what you are aiming to achieve. BUT! plans don't always go to plan. You might start putting your work together and realize there’s a better order of things, or a better color choice for example. A plan is there as a guide, not a set of constraints that you must stick to.