Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme… Beauty versus the Beast.
Imagine this scenario (I don’t think it will be that hard)… You work for a company that has purchased Tableau (YEAH!) and you are about to receive your first project for this smokin’ new data visualization software!
“Please create this tabular report… you can reference this Excel file… in fact, I want it to basically look like this Excel file.”
Change is hard, and people like getting the information they are used to getting, in the manner that they are used to receiving it in…. but what are we to do when we know that it’s not what the tool was born to do? We have to find a way to encourage change. Here are a couple of methods that have had varying degrees of success. I share them all because every organization is different and what flopped and failed in some places may be the winning strategy in another.
The Heavy Hand
This takes some guts to pull off and can be a career shorten move if it goes wrong, but history doesn’t remember the meek! This involves goes up a level or two to whoever the numbers ultimately will up to in the end. Present a visual dashboard to them and explain it could replace the tabular report they receive currently. This is best to happen “accidentally”, maybe before or after a meeting, or in the elevator. Better yet, once the investment is made, chances are they will want to see the tool in action with a demo on “our data”; perfect time for the old switcharoo! The hope of this is that the senior executive makes a decree that they need to be more visual in the reporting. Remember it’s easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.
Finding an Evangelist
Also known as the “Grassroots” method… this involves finding a forward-thinking leader and doing clandestine work for them in order for them to become your “flag-bearer”. Finding this person can be hard, but so worth it, as they can drive the change from their successes with data visualization. They start bringing content to the meetings.. they may dump things into PowerPoint, but it’s at least visual! If you can, give them the mobile app, and have them bring that to the meeting. Soon, the other leaders will say “Where did you get that? I want that!” and the avalanche can begin. You may need two or three to really get the ball rolling, but it works on the same principle as peer pressure… make someone the cool kid and the others want to be the cool kid too.
The Alternative View
This involves taking that tabular excel file and producing it just the way it was asked to be done. Then, on another dashboard in the workbook, prototype some quick visualization that pulls out the important KPIs, “data stories”, and actionable items. Make sure that the dashboard comes up first and then navigate to the tabular report. Someone will ask “What was that other thing?” and you can walk them through it.. pointing out where in the tabular report they can find this particular information or that particular data point. This method may lead to your Evangelist, which is a win-win. The hope of this method is that by producing both options, that they see the value in the visual representation, and they find themselves relying less and less on the tabular report until it’s merely a reference sheet on the dashboard.
The Subtle Slide-In
This method takes that tabular report and simply adds some visual element, generally a highlight table to bring out the highs/lows/actionable numbers/statuses to make the table easier to read. This one is the cheapest and easiest to pull off. Hopefully, they see some value and over time you can push more and more away from the tabular report towards visual analytics.
No matter the tactic you choose, and even if you choose your own, the key is to be armed with facts, best practices, and a willingness to push the envelope in the hopes of making things better. Learn about pre-attentive attributes, effective color usage, and interactivity. Make your users curious, and make them want to explore, and ask their own questions. Who knows, you may move from “recreate this excel file” to “great dashboard, can I stick it in PowerPoint as a static image?”
What other methods have you found successful? Share them in the comments please, and let’s make this world a better place!