In a fast-paced business environment, analytics will always remain a staple in workforces across the globe. From vibrant charts and visualizations to lengthy presentations, data is essential to the broader framework of modern business efforts. But are traditional analytical methods becoming outdated?
While data dashboards may be recognizable to the average data scientist, they can be indecipherable to the average person — particularly their target viewers. As a result, students who wish to be part of the future of analytics should take a different approach, also known as data storytelling [1].
This method prioritizes planning, presentation, and audience. If employees understand "who" the data matters to most, they can narrow their information to only the most crucial information points, making it a more compelling overall experience.
Treating Data Like A Story
Like any highly interactive job skill, data scientists use critical thinking skills daily. However, this focus may go to waste if used solely for data collection. If data scientists want to make an impact with their information, they must have a contextualized understanding of the material that goes beyond mere numbers [1].
As such, students aiming to further their data now and in the future should familiarize themselves with the ability to support their answers — with data. They should ask things like Who is my audience? What purpose does this data serve? Insight into these questions can provide understandable and comprehensive responses [2].
Ultimately, analytics' past and future is a big data story. A construct of history compiled. Information is gathered and presented in a way that focuses on the unique perspective of the data, speaking to an audience about the discoveries in the data [1], essentially telling a story with data, including a beginning, middle, and end that resonates with its viewers.
Analytics: A Skill Worth Developing
In conclusion, students with a knack for data sciences shouldn’t toss their storytelling and communication efforts aside. While it’s long been assumed numbers and statistics can speak for themselves, the future will expect something different from analytics. Audiences don’t just want data to show them well-constructed charts or graphs; they also want that data to tell a meaningful story [3].
Reference:
[2]https://tdwi.org/articles/2019/01/02/adv-all-8-analytics-trends-that-will-shape-your-future.aspx?m=1
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