Big data is the new black. We have more data than we could use, but what we really need is information. The typical dashboard is completely crammed with colourful 3D pies, uncountable lines and tons of extra-thick tables. And nobody understands anything. Knowledge is power. But to be able to know you first have to understand. In this talk we shall see how to transform a terribile mess into a clean and informative dashboard, moving step by step and explaining the reasonings between each passage. At my signal... unleash knowledge!

1. Big Data, Small Dashboard
Andrea Maietta
MILAN 25-26 NOVEMBER 2016
#smalldashboard

2. Big data
http://www.turing-gateway.cam.ac.uk/images/thematic%20pages/Big%20Data.jpg

3. Who controls the past
controls the future
https://matteroffactsblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/big-brother-1984.jpg

4. Need input!
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/ax7d5yo0tpwazukz0pfe.jpg

5. Input? We have plenty
http://thenextweb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/data-flow.jpg

6. We want information…
information… information…
http://images.simplysyndicated.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Number-Six-the-prisoner-26757617-1024-768.jpg

7. What is a dashboard?

8. A metaphor
http://saniwaxgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/1088e-bentley-mulsanne-limousine-top-resolution.jpg

9. A definition by Stephen Few

10. THE rule:
communicate effectively

11. Anscombe’s quartet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anscombe's_quartet

12. Anscombe’s quartet

13. Russian campaign
http://www2.stetson.edu/~jrasp/_images/Minard.jpg

14. Happiness vs
change requests

15. Avoid clutter
http://pagehanify.com/7criteria/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Clutter.jpg

16. Does that ring a bell?

17. Does that ring a bell?

18. Does that ring a bell?

19. Stories from the trenches:
3D histogram in Excel

20. Can you decipher the graph?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HL2T9OfrYBY/UVsyIQhFOoI/AAAAAAAAEKc/74LB2jcc8e0/s1600/Capture345555.JPG

21. It gets worse…
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wizdbl0YVnM/UVsyjy4vjCI/AAAAAAAAEKk/OCD7QHHCerE/s1600/Capture455523.JPG

22. …and worse
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GOee5YnNTxs/UVsy3Z6D8-I/AAAAAAAAEKs/rutxtWuGbTM/s1600/cones.JPG

23. Just because you can,
doesn’t mean you should
http://biostat.jhsph.edu/~jleek/cox.jpg

24. Stories from the trenches:
School of Management

25. Average pay rise (?!?)

26. Professional areas

27. Areas of origin

28. Previous education

29. How much this graph
reminds me of Mr. T
http://funigy.com/img/0216/how-much-this-graph-reminds-me-of-mr-t.jpg

30. Stories from the trenches:
Illustrator tutorial

31. Graphing batting data
http://www.trbimg.com/img-553fe384/turbine/la-sp-sn-designated-hitter-celebrate-baseball-20150428

32. From this…
http://creativepro.com/illustrator-how-to-no-more-boring-graphs-ever/

33. …to this
http://creativepro.com/illustrator-how-to-no-more-boring-graphs-ever/

34. You may be wondering…
http://kyoko9.deviantart.com/art/Gorilla-VI-42583809

35. A case study

36. The context
http://thetangential.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Call-Center.jpg

37. The dashboard

38. Overall evaluation
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2421220/images/o-OVERWHELMED-facebook.jpg

39. Highlighted non data pixels

40. Wrong use of
most relevant space

41. Scrolling required

42. Table requires (a lot of)
scrolling

43. Chartjunk

44. A 3D pie chart

45. Pointless use of colors

46. Pointlessy highlighted tables

47. Wrong media

48. Pointless duplication

49. Missing context

50. Out of this darkness
and into the day

51. Let’s fix this thing!
http://7-themes.com/data_images/out/15/6817750-wreck-it-ralph.jpg

52. We need a suitable language
https://matteroffactsblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/big-brother-1984.jpghttps://matteroffactsblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/big-brother-1984.jpg

53. Edward Tufte
6e52bc30-f4d3-11e2-a62e-00144feabdc0

54. The cognitive style
of power point
6e52bc30-f4d3-11e2-a62e-00144feabdc0

55. John Wilder Tukey
https://www.opensciencedatacloud.org/static/dashboard/img/home/john-tukey-crop.jpg

56. Wilder Tukey != Wild Turkey
http://wildturkeybourbon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/WT_WheretoFind_v3.jpg

57. Stephen Few
http://www.bi-podium.nl/mediaFiles/workshops/45_ori_new_stephen_few_tow_day_workshop_show_me_the_numbers.jpg

58. What to include?
http://www.zastavki.com/pictures/originals/2013/Animals___Monkeys_Monkey_and_scratches_head_054129_.jpg

59. It depends
https://typeset-beta.imgix.net/rehost/2016/9/13/2195f1a7-cf36-4056-b1fd-0752ff9ce834.jpg

60. Chartjunk

61. Chartjunk
https://johnhdavisdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/dirty-harry-11.jpeg

62. A 3D pie chart

63. A 3D pie chart
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wZIcHyJJrBs/T3UTuMr1h_I/AAAAAAAAC8M/y5n5EQSwzp4/s1600/falling-down-original.jpg

64. Pointless duplication

65. Pointless duplication

66. Remove duplication

67. Change media type

68. Remove
highlighted non data pixels

69. Remove more
highlighted non data pixels

70. Remove label

71. Remove noise

72. Add data

73. Remove duplication

74. Change sort order

75. Clarify

76. Add data

77. Our journey

78. Pointless duplication

79. Pointless use of colors

80. Feels like
I’ve been here before

81. Remove pointless
use of colors

82. Simplify… or don’t

83. Everything should be made
as simple as possibile,
but not simpler
http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/assets/img/full-size/einstein-big-idea-merl.jpg

84. Missing context

85. Missing context

86. Answers within time limit

87. Add another dimension

88. Highlight points of attention

89. Don’t alter meaning

90. Box plot

91. A little aside:
think Wayne Gretzky
http://www.esthockey.ee/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/best-hockey-players.jpeg

92. Edmonton Oilers
1985-86 Stats
http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/teams/edmonton-oilers-players-1985-86-nhl-stats.html

93. With or without you:
a comparison

94. With or without you:
a comparison

95. Know your data!
http://www.atleticacinisello.it/giovani/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/I-Want-You.jpg

96. Back to our batting stats
http://creativepro.com/illustrator-how-to-no-more-boring-graphs-ever/

97. Who’s been the best?

98. Who’s improving?

99. Remove wasted space

100. Both things at once

101. Let’s see some good stuff

102. A Sales Dashboard
by Stephen Few
http://amzn.to/2gpymKC

103. Where to go from here

104. Wax on, wax off
https://footballbeyondthestats.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/karate-kid-2.jpg

105. All valley championship final
http://statcdn.fandango.com/MPX/image/NBCU_Fandango/432/767/KarateKid_CraneKick.jpg

106. Improve, then improve again
http://news.images.itv.com/image/file/810122/img.jpg

107. Maybe there's more to life than being
really, really, really
ridiculously good looking?
http://jojud265nia2bj9sy4ah9b61.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/zoolander2-1600x900-c-default.jpg

108. At my signal,
unleash knowledge!
http://news.images.itv.com/image/file/810122/img.jpg

109. Q & (hopefully) A

110. Don’t be shy!
http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/file-2531623043-jpg/question_post_it.jpg

111. Suggested readings

112. Don’t judge a book
by its cover

113. Suggested readings

114. Suggested readings

115. Suggested readings

116. Suggested readings

117. Suggested readings

118. Suggested readings
(technology related)

119. Big Data, Small Dashboard
Andrea Maietta
MILAN 25-26 NOVEMBER 2016
@andreamaietta
amaietta@gpawidegroup.com
#smalldashboard