Companies are collecting data 24 hours a day, all year round. Utilizing this data using process data visualization tools can help in making intelligent business decisions.
The world is an information-rich place. Today, more than half the world’s population uses the internet. Every move you make, every link you click, and every item you buy is recorded. Companies then use this data to improve their business processes. It also allows them to make sound business choices. However, to ensure the constant progress of your company, it is essential that you analyze this collected data correctly.
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What is Process Data Visualisation?
Process data visualization refers to the graphical representation of information to make it easier to understand. Data collected through websites, applications, or other customer interactions can be recorded and visualized using charts, graphs, maps, or data points. In a world where big data is increasing exponentially, data visualization tools can allow you to analyze millions of data points and make data-driven decisions.
Benefits of Data Visualisation
Data is everywhere. However, the key is to use it for your benefit. Whether you are a clothing brand, a hardware store, or a service-providing platform, you get millions of data points every day. These data points can be considered as footprints to a customer’s heart. Analyzing them properly can lead to crucial discoveries about your clients and data processes. Hence, process data visualization can help you improve customer loyalty and also your business efficiency.
For example, assume you have a business of making spiral notebooks. You visualize your sales data and find out that one school in the district is not using your notebooks. You send a representative to that school and find out that it’s a kindergarten school, and they prefer simple notebooks. So, in response, you start making notebooks without the spiral, and their sales are even higher. This way, data visualization helped you identify a need and provide a solution, which in turn proved profitable for your company.
Similarly, suppose you have some software that takes longer than usual to run. You decide to visualize the time spent at each step. You find out that step X was taking 10 minutes as compared to the standard 2 minutes. This helps you identify the bottleneck and fix the issue. Hence, improving your process efficiency.
Improving Process Data Visualisation
It is evident that process data visualization is important. Following are a few ways you can improve your strategy:
Define your purpose
The first step is to understand and define your purpose clearly. Why do you need to visualize the data? Are you trying to solve a problem? Having a purpose helps filter the data points and focus on the information capable of providing real value.
Keep the visualization simple
Your visualizations should be easy to understand. Regardless of your target audience, it is important to keep your visualizations simple. That is, a person should be able to grasp the essence of your data even without having a technical background. For example, using a complex design to showcase data that can be easily presented in the form of a line graph should be avoided at all costs.
Select the optimal visualization method
There are different ways you can visualize your data. You can use graphs, maps, charts, or simple data points. These categories are further subdivided into different forms, and choosing the optimal one can be a hassle. However, by filtering the data and pinpointing a target audience, you can easily identify which option would suit it the best. This does not imply that your data can’t be represented in a bar chart or a line graph. Instead, it just makes the visualization easy to understand.
Provide context
Lastly, providing context is a crucial factor in understanding the visualizations. While presenting your data does 50% of the task, the other 50% is giving context and information about your data. For example, if you see a random line chart, you will not know what it is about. However, if a key is provided, you will understand the relationship between the factors better. Therefore, it is important to provide the necessary information to help the viewer understand your data easily.
Conclusion
Process data visualization is a great way to understand the working of your business processes. Visualizations make data easier to understand and dissect. It also allows you to identify the critical points in your system and improve them for better results. Data visualization allows you to use the available information to your benefit. Hence, helping you improve your business functions.