Data visualization: The underrated skill in business analytics

[Md. Abdur Rahim]

By Erika Balla



In an age where data has become the lifeblood of businesses, deciphering this raw data to yield actionable insights is critical. Here is where the role of business analytics comes into play. Business analytics, a blend of data management, business intelligence, and predictive modeling, is a field dedicated to driving business strategies through the lens of data. However, the effectiveness of a business analytics strategy is more than just the volume of data or the sophistication of modeling techniques. Instead, it hinges on an often underrated yet immensely vital skill – data visualization.

Business analytics goes beyond pure numbers; it’s about telling a story – a story that can influence critical business decisions. This story becomes compelling, influential, and easily understandable when articulated through data visualization. By visually representing data, we can bring the narrative to life and communicate complex concepts in a digestible, clear, and impactful way.

This article will explore the fascinating world of data visualization, its underrated status, and its growing relevance in business analytics.

What is data visualization?

At its core, data visualization is the art and science of graphically representing data. It involves using visual elements like charts, graphs, and maps to convey complex data sets efficiently and interpretably. In business analytics, this graphical representation serves as a bridge between technical and non-technical stakeholders, translating the language of raw numbers into visuals that everyone can comprehend.

Data visualization is far more than a mere translation tool, though. Its real power lies in its ability to spotlight trends, patterns, and outliers that might go unnoticed in text-based data. This enhanced visibility allows decision-makers to capture crucial insights swiftly and make informed, data-driven decisions.

But why is data visualization critical in business analytics? To answer that, we must consider the immense volume of data that modern businesses deal with. Organizations are continually gathering data from various sources in an era of big data. The challenge is not in obtaining the data but in making sense of it and extracting valuable insights. Here is where data visualization comes into the picture, guiding businesses to the insights they need.

Data visualization often remains an underrated aspect of business analytics despite its evident significance. It’s an underappreciated art, often overshadowed by the hype around machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The underrated nature of data visualization

In the complex business analytics ecosystem, data visualization often fails to garner the attention it deserves, which may seem paradoxical, considering its pivotal role in driving data-driven decisions and strategies. But when delving into business analytics, one usually encounters the spotlight on high-end, complex data modeling techniques, machine learning algorithms, and statistical analysis. These undoubtedly constitute the backbone of business analytics, but they can also eclipse the significance of data visualization.

This overshadowing often leads to a common misconception – that data visualization is a secondary skill that doesn’t require extensive learning or understanding. Some perceive it as simply beautifying or organizing data rather than a tool for insightful analysis and effective communication. This misperception is precisely why data visualization tends to be underrated.

Moreover, several businesses underestimate the difficulty and skill involved in effective data visualization. Creating an impactful visual representation of data isn’t simply choosing the right chart type or colors but understanding the data, selecting the appropriate visualization techniques to highlight key insights, and communicating them effectively to various stakeholders. It subtly blends data science, graphic design, and storytelling.

While the hype around sophisticated machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence persists, the importance of data visualization continues to grow. Despite its often underrated status, it’s an indispensable part of any comprehensive data analytics course and a skill every aspiring business analyst should master. It not only equips professionals with a vital tool for analysis but also provides them with a powerful means of conveying complex data narratives in a simple, digestible format.

The power of data visualization in business analytics

In the vast sea of information, businesses are like navigators charting a course through turbulent waters. Data visualization is the compass, illuminating the path toward impactful, data-driven decisions. Its influence on business analytics is transformative, leading to more effective strategies and increased competitiveness.

Data visualization renders complexity manageable.

Business data is often complex, multidimensional, and voluminous, making it challenging to dissect and understand. Visualizing this data simplifies the intricacies and allows businesses to see the relationships, correlations, and patterns within their data, making analysis more approachable.

Data visualization democratizes data.

Any business has a spectrum of stakeholders, from technical experts to non-technical decision-makers. Data visualization is the bridge that connects these disparate groups, translating data science jargon into a universal language. With clear visuals, stakeholders from all backgrounds can understand the insights derived from data and contribute to data-driven decision-making.

Data visualization accelerates the decision-making process.

In the fast-paced business world, time is a scarce and precious commodity. Visualizing data condenses large amounts of information into concise, understandable formats, allowing for quicker absorption of data, faster detection of trends, and expedited decision-making. It ensures that businesses can keep pace with their data, stay agile, and maintain their competitive edge.

Data visualization is crucial for predictive analytics.

Predictive analytics is one of the most potent applications of business analytics. By visually representing past trends and potential future scenarios, businesses can anticipate market changes, optimize their strategies, and stay ahead of the curve.

Data visualization techniques


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Now, let’s briefly delve into some standard techniques used to represent data visually:

Bar Charts and Column Charts: These charts are simple yet powerful tools for comparing quantities across different categories, typically used for showing trends over time or comparing values across several groups.
Pie Charts: Pie charts represent the proportion of parts to a whole and are particularly effective when comparing the relative sizes of categories in a dataset.
Line Graphs: Line graphs are excellent for showing changes over time, effectively illustrating trends and patterns that make them especially useful in forecasting and trend analysis.
Scatter Plots: Scatter plots display the relationship between two numerical variables and are often employed in correlation and regression analyses.
Heat Maps: Heat maps use color gradients to represent the distribution and density of variables, which are beneficial in identifying patterns and clusters in large datasets.
Interactive Dashboards: Dashboards aggregate various visualizations into a single interface, providing a consolidated data view. They allow users to interact with the data, drill down into specifics, and customize the view to their needs.
Geographical Maps: Map-based visualizations can be invaluable when dealing with geographical data. They can represent data density in different regions, compare variables across locations, or track changes over time.
These techniques represent just the tip of the iceberg in data visualization. As part of a comprehensive business analytics course, you’d be exposed to these and more advanced techniques using popular tools like Tableau, Power BI, and Python libraries such as Matplotlib and Seaborn.

The future of data visualization in business analytics

As we move further into the era of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, the future of data visualization in business analytics looks brighter. The skill is set to play an even more prominent role as businesses grapple with increasing volumes of data and growing demand for data-driven decision-making.

With the advent of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), we can expect data visualization to transcend traditional two-dimensional graphs and charts. These technologies will enable the creation of immersive, three-dimensional data visualizations, allowing businesses to interact with their data in novel and intuitive ways. Imagine walking through a virtual representation of your data, exploring trends, patterns, and anomalies from every angle. This immersive visualization can enhance understanding, improve engagement, and make data analysis more intuitive.

Moreover, the rise of AI and machine learning will significantly impact data visualization. Automated data analysis and visualization tools will become more prevalent, making it easier for businesses to generate and update their visualizations in real-time. Machine learning algorithms will also play a role in identifying the most insightful visualizations for a given dataset, saving time and increasing efficiency.

Summing up

In the bustling field of business analytics, amidst the buzz of machine learning and artificial intelligence, data visualization stands as an underrated yet profoundly influential skill. It can transform complex, voluminous data into understandable, actionable insights. It democratizes data, making it accessible and understandable to everyone within an organization, regardless of their technical proficiency.

As we step into the future of business analytics – a future dominated by Big Data, AI, and novel technologies – the role of data visualization is set to expand even further. Therefore, gaining proficiency in this skill today will set you up for success in the dynamic landscape of tomorrow.

Source: TechTarget, Inc.
Original Content: https://www.datasciencecentral.com/data-visualization-the-underrated-skill-in-business-analytics/