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Data Visualization: 5 Reasons to Use It to Tell Your Customers’ Story

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Data visualization, a tool by which facts, statistics, or other complex pieces of information, are presented in a format where trends and developments are easily grasped and understood. Our eyes are naturally drawn to color and focal points. Visually-immersive presentations using graphs or charts can effectively pull attention to the key points of research and analysis. This becomes particularly important when it comes to decision making and responding to new events in a timely fashion. A spreadsheet or data script, while often a necessary part of information gathering, can also be confusing and overwhelming.

 

data-neon-sign

Conveying Concepts in A Universal Matter

Even after key points are identified and understood, there typically remains the risk that changing or adding new items of data could once again cloud things for a period of time. For example, a store manager might not understand why sales were down a particular month, when no changes were made at a staffing or supply level. With data visualization, defining trends and patterns becomes much easier as they quite literally appear in front of us. This is one of the many reasons why data visualization is important: It’s “a quick easy way to convey concepts in a universal matter,” [i] where experimentation with the input can be done quickly, and the consequences of varying or experimenting with that input can be seen quickly as well.

Clarifying Problems with Data Visualization

Another reason is correctional in nature, in that it can clarify what areas of the data are problematic or need attention. A webcomic by Randall Munroe presents several thousand years of average CO2 levels throughout the world in an interesting, scrolling format. [ii] Merely looking at the numbers might not give the full story. Due to variations and shifts that appear consistently throughout the chart. However, at the bottom of the chart is when we can understand that the numbers present a marked change from the pattern up until that point.

 

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Isolating Relevant Parts

Data visualization is also important because it can isolate those parts of a series that are relevant to specific questions or topics. [iii] For example, a trend such as customer behavior is a complex and seemingly-arbitrary collection of data points. If one were to gather together all the different factors that influence a shopper’s purchasing decisions, it would, by necessity, be presented as a grid of crisscrossing numbers and dates. While the causes behind some of the trends here would be somewhat straightforward (i.e., people stop buying hats and mittens when the weather turns warmer), determining the reasoning behind other trends is typically requires a multi-step approach.

Game of Thrones and Data Visualization

For example, the TV show Game of Thrones had increasingly higher and higher ratings every week of its second season in 2012, building up to the climactic episode “Blackwater” . . . which saw the ratings plunge [iv]. They went right back up the following week for the finale, but simply looking at the raw viewer numbers presents more questions than answers. The episode in question had very good user reviews, as did the episode before it. What happened? The answer can be found by again, looking at the data. This particular episode debuted on Memorial Day, a three-day weekend, and many viewers simply happened to be out of the house that evening. We know this by looking at flight and travel data for a typical Memorial Day weekend [v]. By observing that, year by year, travel-related activity noticeably ticks up across those dates.

Determining How and Where to Sell Goods and Services

Data visualization helps us determine how and where to sell goods and services, or in other words, “which products to place where.” [vi] Location is a key value in real estate, and the same holds true here: No one will buy your product if they don’t know how to find it, and no one will know how to find your product if you don’t know how you’re placing it. To this end, companies routinely collect sales data on different products[vii]. The relative importance of each metric is presented in a very straightforward way. Price is considered most strongly. Followed by the type of store the product is sold in, and then various physical descriptors of the product itself. In other words, the chart demonstrates that the factors of affordability and convenience seem to outweigh many other considerations. Which suggests that the big takeaway is: Make it easy for a customer to purchase something.

Planning Ahead

Finally, data visualization plays a reactive role for businesses, and helps them to determine what products might be in demand in the future. Many companies use visuals to help them make sense of these trends, and often make sense of time series forecasting, or “[using] a model to predict future values based on previously observed values.” [viii] Essentially, they look at previously occurring sales events over a long period of time, typically spanning several fiscal cycles. Then use those numbers to make predictions as to what sales of a specific product should look like as time goes on.

As before, there are often several metrics that are useful to graph in this fashion, including item sold, number of sales, date sold, location sold, how many customers were in the store on that date overall, etc. However, knowing how much emphasis should be placed on each metric, and what sort of emphasis, is a question that data visualization is well suited at exploring.

A typical visualization of these data points can be presented in an easy-to-understand graph form. Where the peaks and valleys of any given arrow chart generally stand out pretty clearly, and often coincide with memorable dates and events. Sales of green shirts might spike around mid-March. Fireworks sales in certain states boom over holiday weekends, but especially at the beginning of January and July.

To the Point . . .

Moving away from holidays, a downturn in customer activity might appear a mystery. Until the data visualization shows that a rival store opened across the street on that particular month, and many potential customers may have considered exploring a new option during that time. There are many more reasons to use data visualization. Ultimately, they remain a very good tool. Most importantly, they don’t just answer a great deal of variable questions about your target market. They make it easier to understand who your target market is and how they behave.

What are some ways you use data visualizations to explain concepts and ideas? Please share in the comment section below.

 

ABOUT US

CATMEDIA is an award-winning Inc. 500 company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in advertising, creative services, media production, program management, training, and human resource management. As a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), CATMEDIA provides world-class customer service and innovative solutions to government and commercial clients. Current CATMEDIA clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

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[i] “Data Visualization: What It Is and Why It Matters.” SAS.com. N.p., September 2019. Web

[ii] Munroe, Randall. “Earth Temperature Timeline.” xkcd.com/1732. N.p., December 2016. Web

[iii] “Data Visualization.” SAS.com. N.p., September 2019. Web

[iv] Hibberd, James. “Game of Thrones Ratings Dip for ‘Blackwater’.” EW.com. Meredith Corporation. May 2012. Web

[v] “Holiday Season Sales vs. Memorial Day Sales Trend” trends.edison.tech. N.P., May 2018. Web

[vi] Vadapalli, Sricharan, Hands-on DevOps, Packt Publishing, Birmingham, UK, 2017, p. 31

[vii] Olton, Andrew. “Data Science Case Study: Optimizing Product Placement in Retail.” towardsdatascience.com. N.p., May 2018. Web

[viii] Li, Susan. “An End-to-End Project on Time Series Analysis and Forecasting with Python.” towardsdatascience.com. N.p., July 2018. Web

CATMEDIA CEO Catherine Downey Will Attend 2019 Tuck-WBENC

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It’s been an exciting year of awards and recognitions for Atlanta-based small business CATMEDIA, whose CEO Catherine Downey has been accepted in to the 2019 Tuck WBENC Strategic Growth Program. This is the second time Downey has been honored with attending this week-long program that brings together a select group of women executives to discuss the latest in strategic direction, financial strategy, digital technologies, partnering, acquisitions, and brand communication.

See Full Press Release Here

“Most of my career, I thought I was just an anomaly as a successful female entrepreneur until I attended the Tuck-WBENC Executive Program. It was a life changing event to spend a week with 59 other women just like me!” – Catherine Downey

catherine-downey-wbenc-tuck-2019

The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the largest certifier of women-owned businesses in the U.S. and a leading advocate for women business owners and entrepreneurs.

“We believe diversity promotes innovation, opens doors, and creates partnerships that fuel the economy. That’s why we provide the most relied upon certification standard for women-owned businesses and the tools to help them succeed. Our mission is to fuel economic growth globally by identifying, certifying, and facilitating the development of women-owned businesses.”

For over the past 15 years, IBM has been committed to supporting the development and advancement of Women’s Business Enterprises through educational opportunities.

CATMEDIA is a marketing, training, and creative services company that prides itself on turning visions to motion. Since 1997, Downey, who was named by Atlanta Magazine as one of the Top 500 CEOs in 2019, has seen tremendous growth in her company. Her leadership, commitment, and strength serve as the foundation for CATMEDIA’s operational standards and practices. Her unique ability to understand the creative world enables CATMEDIA to offer superior solutions to match each client’s individual message.

CATMEDIA has been recognized for numerous awards the over the last decade in leadership, company growth, and best places to work for.

Not only has the company been named one of Atlanta’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For for four years in a row, but has twice been named to the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America, as well as the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s top ten list of fastest-growing private companies.

To learn more about the WBENC, click here!

ABOUT US

CATMEDIA is an award-winning Inc. 500 company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in advertising, creative services, media production, program management, training, and human resource management. As a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), CATMEDIA provides world-class customer service and innovative solutions to government and commercial clients. Current CATMEDIA clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Stay Connected with CATMEDIA:
For more information, please visit CATMEDIA

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Creativity: It’s Important to Your Business

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What do you think of when you think about creativity? Some people think that creativity only lies within the paintbrush of an artist or in the sculpture of an architect, but perhaps creativity can appear in more places than just a studio. In reality, creativity is not detained within one sector, and that’s the beauty of it.

So, what is creativity you might ask? Well, according to Gestalt psychologists, creativity is defined as something that generates a new idea, insight, or solution through imagination rather than through logic or reason. Creative thinking often takes a different approach to problem-solving, and when that kind of approach is taken in a business atmosphere, the outcome can be both rewarding and pleasantly surprising.

Creativity and Innovation in Business 

creativity hands griping paperHave you ever heard of a business that had great success without any creative or innovative ideas? The chances that you have are slim to none because creativity is the driving force behind most businesses’ success. Creativity and innovation are often the reason that businesses flourish in today’s world—setting the bar higher for the next ‘big’ idea. Creative thinking leads to the implementation of innovative ideas in the workplace.

Importance of Creativity in Business

creativity strategy meetingCreative business ideas set companies apart from one another. Without creativity and innovation, every company would follow the same patterns in marketing/promotion, technique, or even the goods and services they may be selling. Creativity is crucial for businesses today, especially when the market is dependent on innovative, breaking technology. The collaboration of creative minds has the ability to push creative business ideas into reality. Once your business brain is able to think outside the box, the possibilities are endless.

Now that we’ve established how important creativity is to business success, it is only fair that employees have the opportunity to channel their inner creative mind.

Importance of Creative People in Companies

ight-bulb-on-green-backgroundPeople who believe that they aren’t the ‘creative type’, are probably the same people that believe creativity only comes from an artistic perspective, but the truth is, everyone is able to channel creative thinking when put in the right environment. Employing creative people to join your team allows for a more imaginative approach to business problems. Creative thinking can ultimately set your business apart from all of the others, making consumers want to have your product and service over others.

What if you were to channel the whole team’s creativity? Yes, in many cases there is only a small part of the company with the responsibilities of creative work, but your business could prosper much more if you had your entire team involved with creative brainstorming. 

What You Can Do to Implement Creativity in the Workplace

Implementing creativity in the workplace can be a challenging task, especially when you have a diverse group of employee skill sets. Get your employees engaged in more creative thinking and ideas with these tips.

Intellectually challenge your employees.

Match your employees with problem solving experiences that will help them think and approach situations creatively. Give the employee a certain problem or task and have them solve it in numerous ways. It is important that your employees are challenged a little bit every day. Too little of a challenge will cause boredom, but too much will cause stress. It is important to find a healthy balance.

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Freedom of expression.

Employees are most creative when they can choose which work methods they would like to use. If a method or line of work seems to be too difficult, it can suppress creativity. Avoid this negative byproduct by allowing your employees to work in their own way. It is also very important that employees take breaks from certain projects, assignments, or problem solving. When a break is taken, the mind regroups, and creativity can strike up again.

Create diverse work groups.

Diversity allows creative minds to collaborate and solve problems. When in a group, employees can listen to different approaches and build their opinions and thinking process off of one another. Have you ever been in a meeting where different thought processes were being expressed, and a great idea popped in your mind after someone voiced a similar approach? Working in diverse groups can help your employees further reach their creative capacity.

Being in a safe place.

Most of a person’s creativity evolves here. When an employee feels safe in their environment, they will most likely voice more of their creative business ideas. In order for an employee to feel safe, they must have encouragement from their managers and fellow coworkers. This helps employees know that they can think freely and creatively without judgment. This is not to say that you can’t let an employee know when they aren’t doing their best. That’s when corrective criticism can come into play.

man-putting-pictures-on-wall-creative

Organizational support.

This goes along with encouragement. Your entire team should praise creativity and allow others to feel as if they can discuss their ideas openly to multiple people in the office. You may not agree with some ideas, but never make a person feel as though it was a bad idea.

Allowing your employees to utilize their creative thinking throughout the workday can enhance self-confidence and motivation. Furthermore, by motivating your employees, they work harder to help make the business a success.

Advantages of Creativity in the Workplace

creativity team having a meetingIt’s clear to see that accepting creativity and innovation into the workplace can be advantageous for everyone. By implementing creativity, you open the door for employees from all different departments to come together as a team, increasing engagement and interaction in the workplace. When employees are able to work as a cohesive team, the staff morale goes up, making the environment more fun, happy, and laid back. This ultimately attracts more employees and retain quality workers. Creativity will always make your employees want to learn more by seeking multiple options, ideas, and solutions for the business. Your business can’t lose with creativity on its side.

CATMEDIA Knows the Importance of Creativity

Here at CATMEDIA, we know the importance of creativity in the workplace and put our creative minds to work every day. Without creativity and innovation, we would not be able to meet our client’s needs properly. Want to know more about our creative services? Visit our website! 

References 

[1] https://hovgaards.com/2011/04/06/what-is-creativity-and-why-is-it-important-for-businesses/

ABOUT CATMEDIA 

CATMEDIA is an award-winning Inc. 500 company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in advertising, creative services, media production, program management, training, and human resource management. As a Women Owned Small Business (WOSB), CATMEDIA provides world-class customer service and innovative solutions to government and commercial clients. Current CATMEDIA clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Stay Connected with CATMEDIA:
For more information, please visit CATMEDIA.com

Check us out on social media!
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