Comments on: Creating a Report to Tell a Story

By: Colleen Chan

Colleen Chan — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:51:44 +0000

Thank you Aaron

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:42:58 +0000

Awesome write up

By: Colleen Chan

Colleen Chan — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:57:43 +0000

Hi JD,

Hmmm, commenting on a post before you read the link. I wonder how many people who are commenting in my groups who have not read the link? Maybe I should start changing my titles so they are not so divisive.

I’m very flattered that you may use this post with your students. As you are so passionate about your numbers, I too am also very passionate about my numbers and ensuring that they are represented correctly.

The story is always in the numbers. Being creative with our analytics can bring creativity to the decisions and the business.

And you do get a pat on the back for the passion you show for you numbers

Thanks,

By: JD Eveland

JD Eveland — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:27:30 +0000

I’ve been participating in the dialog on the Research Analytics Group site, and I figured it was high time that I check out your original link. I found your presentation here very interesting, and I hope to use it with some of my students as we explore some issues in interpreting data. As you’ve probably doped out from my posts on the analytics discussion, I tend to take a rather metaphysical view of data that essentially personalizes it and thus endows it with most if not all of the rights that we accord people generally — in particular, the right not to be willfully misrepresented or coerced into yielding a story that is not its own. Like any good translator, an analyst must sometimes reach for alternative possible translations in search of the one that achieves the “aha!” moment of communication, and I see much of your discussion here as about ways to achieve that. I understand that my approach to data can sound a bit extreme and truly weird, but I hope that you’ll accord it at least a pat on the head…

By: Colleen Chan

Colleen Chan — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:40:36 +0000

Ken,

So lovely to read a comment from somebody who knows exactly what I mean. It is all in the visual effects that have to be done correctly that makes reading the analysis easy and understandable.

Thanks for the link, I have not heard of Tufte before. Looks very interesting.

By: Ken S.

Ken S. — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:29:22 +0000

Interesting post. I agree that the image of the data is almost as important as the data itself in that your premise of data complexity causing reader confusion is right on target. Have you explored another really good thinker on this topic – Edward Tufte http://www.edwardtufte.com ? Like Moody, he stresses the design of the content presentation does more for reader comprehension than almost anything else. If you haven’t read any of his books or attended one of his courses, I recommend them. He’s a bit self-serving as a person but his ideas and content presentation guidance is very worthwhile.