Side by Side: Intro & First Project

-
What is Side by Side?
A project where I'll remake my Data Studio visualizations in Tableau

Why?
Google Data Studio is the first data visualization software I learned to use and I found it easy to pick up.
However, I know that Tableau has a larger community and recognize that Tableau has many features that Data Studio doesn't support. I have tried to make visualizations purely in Tableau but found it challenging to master the interface.

I'm using this Side by Side series as an opportunity to learn Tableau. Having a pre-existing visualization as a guideline will help me focus more on learning Tableau capabilities and worry less about design decisions.

------------------------
Project 1: Words in Info We Trust
I'm starting off with my Info we Trust visualization as it was very simple to make in Data Studio. However, I've learned that what may be simple to make in one software may not be as simple to make in another.

Final viz in Tableau:

Learnings

1. Bar labels
Labels in Data Studio appears inside the bar by default, unless the bar is too short. In Tableau, labels appear outside of the bar.
Solution found - use reference lines (example 3)
To replicate inner labels in Tableau, I created a reference line and made the scope per cell. I then had to format the reference line's font and alignment. The key step is to left align the reference line.

I've also found a video illustrating the dual axis - Gantt chart method of inner labels. For an explanation of the dual axis - Gantt method, check out these resources: 1, 2

2. Setting a background colour
     ‣ for a Worksheet: Format > Shading
     ‣ for a Dashboard text box: Layout tab > Background

3. Dashboard box size
Tiled boxes have a minimum height of ~30px but floating boxes can be any size

4. Floating boxes
I don't want to float everything but it seems like floating is the easiest way to achieve my desired design ie. the picture below. When I tried to use tiles, I found that there was white space between boxes.
Remaining Questions
Styling across elements
  • Is it possible to copy a dashboard element (ex. copy a text box with same dimensions and styling)?
    • If not, how can you make multiple charts the same size without eyeballing it?
  • How can you apply the same background colour to multiple text boxes? (Without having to adjust each box individually)
  • How do you ensure that charts on a dashboard are all the same size?

Do you have suggestions for my remaining questions or shortcuts? I'd love to hear from you; please leave a comment below or message me on twitter!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Product Ideas: Getting more specific with locations

-
As a user, there are often times when you come up with product improvements based on the pain points you experience. I'll share two of my recent ideas centered around the theme of location.  Product : LinkedIn, Indeed, and other job search sites What : Add detailed job location (neighborhood or exact location) to job postings rather than simply a city/area. For remote jobs, allow for more detailed searches - is this remote worldwide or only remote within a certain country? Why : From a personal perspective, I live in a large city and the job location within the city matters a lot to me. A job might be listed in the same city that I live in, but it could take over an hour to commute to the location.  In general, for job seekers, this feature would allow them to better understand what the commute could look like. Employers would also benefit from a more relevant talent pool. Ie. job seekers can more readily self-select and employers will end up with applicants who are aware of the ex
Read more

Tip: Create a radar chart in DS using built-in area charts

-
Image
For this week's Makeover Monday , I made a 4 sided radar chart in Data Studio (DS) with the built in area chart. Note: This method works well for 4 sided radar charts but may not work with more variables due to limitations within Data Studio 1. Data Preparation Date for X values An area chart in DS requires a date for the X axis and a metric for the Y axis. Since I wanted to put Spring/Fall on the Y Axis and Winter/Summer on the X axis, I had to convert the Spring/Fall percentages to dates. I did this by choosing Jan 1 2019 (an arbitrary date) to be "0" and added/subtracted by the percentage point to get the final date values. Use a top and bottom area chart My area chart is actually composed of two area charts - one for the top and bottom. The reason for this is because DS doesn't handle negative Y values well and the background colour gets affected. You'll get something like Figure 1 if you use a negative Y value and it would be a hassle to fix the ba
Read more