For as long as people have been communicating with each other, stories have been an essential part of learning. Children read and listen to stories to learn valuable skills like empathy, resilience, and problem-solving. In adulthood, stories play a big role in getting us to pay attention to and remember new information. The way stories command attention has made storytelling a sought-after skill in a variety of different industries. Marketing, medicine, law and many more fields rely on storytelling as a way of communicating emotion, impact, and value to customers and clients.
What makes stories impactful has changed over time. In the modern, data-driven economy, stories that use quantitative and qualitative data points to create a compelling narrative can be an invaluable asset for businesses. Data stories can help businesses clearly communicate the value of a product, relate to their customers, and even convince potential customers to make a leap. Modern consumers value statistics and other hard data – but they want it communicated to them in a way that’s accessible, relatable, and clear.
That’s where data storytelling comes in – data storytelling involves using data to create a compelling, relatable narrative. It accomplishes this by using infographics, data visualizations, interactive maps, and other features to turn complex information into a digestible image or plot. Broadly speaking, data storytelling is an extension of data analysis, but many data scientists lack the narrative and creative skills they need to transform data points into a story. Data storytelling is fundamentally an interdisciplinary endeavor, relying on hard skills like data analysis and soft skills like storytelling in equal measure.
Learning to Become a Data Storyteller
There are many different reasons for organizations to invest in data storytelling. For instance, brands often invest in data storytelling because good data stories convey expertise and can be an effective way to relate to consumers. The popular dating site OkCupid used data storytelling in a series of blogs explaining best practices in online dating to potential users. The blogs used actual data from the site to show what kinds of profile pictures lead to the most matches. According to OKCupid’s data, users with profile pictures with the flash turned on attract less matches than users who have no-flash profile pictures. These kinds of stories appeal to OKCupid’s userbase (who want to increase their chances of finding love), and they showcase the dating site’s expertise.
Producing a good data story requires a lot of work, but new tools for data visualization and analysis have made data storytelling a more accessible skill – and one that can be accomplished on a budget. Rather than hire coders, teams interested in data stories can produce the images they need themselves using tools like Google Data Studio and Infogram. In turn, data stories can help teams discover important insights about their organization.
Even though data storytelling is more accessible than ever before, professionals in any industry could still benefit from training in data analysis, visualization, and storytelling. Data insights are an important asset in every industry – from healthcare, to the tech industry, to education. Professionals who know how to design, frame, and impliment an effective data story are in high demand, and there are currently many different training options for people and organizations who want to invest in data storytelling skills.
Purdue University’s 100% online Data Storytelling Certificate provides students with a strong foundation in building effective data stories, data visualization, narrative visualization, and the ethics of telling data stories. Taught by Sorin Matei, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education in the College of Liberal Arts and Professor of Communication in the Brian Lamb School of Communication, this course gives students the skills they need to establish themselves as expert data storytellers.
To learn more about Purdue’s Data Storytelling course and data storytelling generally, please visit the program’s webpage.
