Andy Cotgreave’s Top Tips for Data Dashboards Done Right

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Dashboards are a powerful data viz tool, but all too often, they are poorly done and not used to the best of their ability. Our guest today, joins us to shed light on what makes dashboards stand out and convey information in an accessible, impactful way.

Andy Cotgreave is a Technical Evangelist at Tableau Software with a cult-like following, a columnist for Information Age, and host of If Data Could Talk. He is also the co-author of The Big Book of Dashboards. 

Andy has inspired thousands of people, giving them technical advice and sparking ideas on how to identify trends and unearth their own data-discovery skills. 

In this episode, he sheds important light on where so many dashboards go wrong and how they differ from data presentations.. Data alone can only do so much of the work; how it is communicated is as important, yet people often neglect this aspect. We also discuss the value of rehearsing and building fluency in the language you are speaking. 

Andy’s passion is truly inspiring, and his invaluable insights into dashboards and presentations are hard to beat!

In This Episode, You’ll Learn… 

How becoming a magician helped Andy become a better presenter.

The most common mistakes Andy sees people making when it comes to presenting data.

Tips on how dashboards can be tailored for presentations.

How you can adapt images and information from platforms like Google Analytics for presentations.

Insights on how to present complex graphs in a digestible way.

Andy's takes on color and how he believes it should be used in dashboards.

Characteristics that make dashboards stand out, according to Andy.

Some of the visualizations people are using which are doing more harm than good.

The book Andy is loving right now.

Exciting developments at Tableau that are exciting Andy most currently.

People, Blogs, and Resources Mentioned

Tableau Software

The Big Book of Dashboards

Hans Rosling: The best stats you've ever seen

Slow Reveal Graphs

Data + Science

Sir Viz-a-Lot

Real World Fake Data

The Design of Everyday Things

Good Charts

Perceptual Edge

How To Make The World Add Up