Art of Data Visualization & Dashboard Design

All of us present numbers in our reports, presentations, memoranda. The way we do it can have enormous impact on their understanding and, in consequence, on decisions we make. Our mind is the core of the cognitive process and therefore we should use its potential to the fullest when communicating numbers. Although our brain is governed by very simple principles, the degree to which they are known, even by report designers and analysts, is very low. Learning those principles is the foundation of communication with the use of numbers.

The course is the first training course of this type in Poland. It is directed at people who prepare and read reports, analyse data and make decisions based on them. 1000 people participated in the course so far and every one of them had their “eyes opened” and their work with numbers improved. The interactive form, practical exercises in Excel and quizzes make the course very attractive for its participants, who recommend it 9 times out of 10

Learning the basics of brain functions with respect to number communication and applying the acquired knowledge in practice.

• How to tell the truth about the data, facilitate its understanding and increase the possibilities of its interpretation,
• What visual communication techniques and means to choose,
• What is dashboard and what is its strength,
• How simple methods of presentation, automation and distribution of an Excel report can improve its effectiveness.

The course alternates between theoretical knowledge and many exercises in Excel. Using the principles of visual communication the participants learn how to build intelligible and functional reports in Excel that can be quickly looked through, updated and distributed.

Private course – takes part within the premises of the ordering company. The party organising the course on behalf of the ordering company gathers the group of participants no larger than 15 people. The participants should bring notebooks with MS Excel 2010/2013/2016 installed.

2000€ for 1 Day / 4000€ for 2 Days

1. Human senses and their ability to absorb information
2. Iconic memory and its impact on understanding numbers
3. Short-term memory and its impact on understanding numbers
4. Long-term memory and its impact on understanding numbers

1. Tables vs. charts – basic applications
2. History of visualisation
3. What does the Effective chart mean?
4. Graphicacy and its impact on number communication
5. 7 principles of effective number communication
6. Basic types of tables and charts and their relation to functioning of the brain
7. Which Excel chart to choose?
8. Application of colour
9. Data relationships and chart selection
10. Other types of charts
11. Presentation of geographical data

1. Origin of the word dashboard
2. What is dashboard?
3. Dashboard characteristics illustrated with examples
4. Management dashboard vs. analytical dashboard
5. Is my report effective?

All people who prepare or read reports and presentations containing figures (from the lowest to the highest levels of the organisation), in particular employees of sales, marketing, controlling, financial, and accounting departments, management information and analytic departments.

• Will be creating reports in accordance with the way the brain functions, leading to better and faster decisions.
• Will be aware of perceptual traps and most frequent mistakes occurring in reports prepared by others
• Will be able to design their Excel report in such a way that it gives the most important information in the blink of an eye

• Faster decision-making process
• Increased area of interpretation of the available data
• Higher level of professionalism and intelligibility of reports prepared at the organisation