Although data visualization has produced some of the most captivating artistic displays in recent memory, some of which have found their way into exhibits at the New York Museum of Modern Art and countless art installations around the world, business leaders are asking: is data visualization actionable?
I believe for the most part, the answer is yes. Data visualization tells a compelling story which allows the consumer of the data to see patterns that are missed in analyzing the numbers. Even when visualization cannot tell the whole story, they are able to point you in a direction that will save countless hours as they give a great starting point.
The other side effect of visualization is it engages executives. Executives love pretty pictures and stories without having to dig through multiple pages or large spreadsheets of numbers. Dashboards are all the rage, but the visualization tells a story that executives can appreciate.