Telling Data Stories that Matter:
The Place of Purposeful Empathy in Visual Analytics.
In our quest to understand data we’ll often come across insights that enlighten, information that entertains, and decision points that call us to action. As we seek to discover and tell these stories we may be driven by curiosity or creativity. But one motivation should never be overlooked: empathy. If we are to tell data stories that truly matter, then we must understand the data and the real people and situations represented and impacted by the data. In this session, we will explore how to leverage purposeful empathy in every stage of the visual analytics cycle - from data exploration, to analysis, to visual data storytelling. We’ll consider how to understand the needs and desires of decision makers and stakeholders, how to dig beneath surface level answers, and how to visually communicate the truth behind the data in respectful and impactful ways. Specifically, you will: • see how to combine good data visualization techniques with an empathetic understanding of your audience• consider how to move from abstract concepts to data visualizations that represent reality• learn ways to probe beyond the initial requirements to better understand true needs and desires• explore ways to communicate positive and negative stories in ways that bring about positive outcomes
Joshua Milligan has a strong background in software development. He brings a blend of analytical and creative thinking to visual analytics and data storytelling. His years of consulting have given him hands on experience in all aspects of the BI development cycle from data modeling, ETL, enterprise deployment, data visualization, and dashboard design. He has worked with clients in numerous industries including finance, energy, healthcare, marketing, government, and services. Joshua is passionate about helping others gain insights from their data. He has been a featured speaker at conferences, user groups and various technology and industry functions. Joshua has been recognized by Tableau as a Tableau Visionary (formerly Zen Master) every year since 2014 and is now in their Hall of Fame. This places Joshua in a select group of individuals recognized by Tableau and has been a featured speaker at Tableau conferences, user groups and various technology and industry functions.