Module03lesson2.docx

Visualization Tool Feature Sets

The available features in today’s visualization tools are numerous. Some common functionalities can be found in most of these tools. Simplified standalone visualization software packages will have minimal features compared to fully integrated business intelligence (BI) solutions that contain a wide array of capabilities such as integrated data analytics and data mining. The most common functionalities shared among all the visualization tools are:

Free Trial

· Allow us to see what the program is like and how it works before committing to and paying for it.

Various Chart Types

· Ensure the chart types your organization needs are included.

Drag-and-Drop Interactivity

· The shorter the learning curve and more intuitive a product is to use, the more likely it will be used.

Alerts

· When live data sets change, visualizations can be automatically updated and current.

Sharing

· The ability to share visualizations is important as we work in more remote locations and can have audiences around the world.

Import and Export Capabilities

· The ability to import information you wish to visualize and export information you wish to analyze is an important feature.

Training

· Self-paced training, help features, and white papers are all crucial elements to assist users through the learning curve of the software package.

One important feature often overlooked is the free trial option. Free trials allow us to see what we will be getting before funds exchange hands. If we can get a free “hands-on” feel for each tool using typical company related scenarios and data sets, a better purchasing decision can be made. The free trial option needs to be used on all of the visualization tools examined to maintain objectivity in decision making.

The variety of chart types available in each visualization product needs to be compared with one another. If your company criteria state that certain charts and graphs are required, this will become a common denominator among all of the visualization tools that you will study. If certain tools have more graphical selections than required, and the price is equitable to others that have less, it would be better to err for more.

The ease of use depicted by a short learning curve is also an important feature. If a product is difficult to use, it will probably be set aside and become an unusable burden to the company. If the drag-and-drop interactivity of a visualization tool is coupled with an intuitive interface, you will have the beginnings of an easy to use product. The more intuitive a product is, the shorter the learning curve, and the more likely it will be to be used for its intended purpose.

On many occasions, live data sets are used with visualization tools. Therefore, an important feature would be the presence of alerts or automated visualizations that are actuated whenever the data changes. This capability will give your presentations a real-time experience that your audience will appreciate. This feature will also ensure that your visualizations are always current and not out of date.

The visualizations created with your software package will not be very effective if they can only be viewed in one system or format. The ability to share your presentations, both to internal and external audiences, is one of the main reasons for using visualization tools. Reliance on information technology is an ever-increasing trend that we need to take advantage of in our presentations. With the growing trend of companies having multiple locations, audiences throughout the world can attend a presentation given in one physical location.

Due to the wide array of applications available to us, an important feature of visualization tools is their capability of importing and exporting data to and from numerous formats. For example, Tableau desktop allows for the import of data from dozens of sources. However, most imports are restricted to keep shared data from being corrupted. You wouldn’t want to be responsible for changing census information that would adversely affect all census data users throughout the world.

Tableau’s default data sources available for export

One of the most important features of any software package, including that of visualization tools, is the built-in user training functionality. Even though the ease of use and intuitive dragging and dropping capabilities are available does not mean these products are trivial. Any good visualization tool will take time to learn. To lessen this learning curve, many of today’s software packages include a variety of training videos and white papers. Users are now able to learn how to perform the many tasks involved while sitting at their computer. Videos that provide step-by-step examples and practice datasets are becoming the norm for the majority of today’s visualization products.

As you can see, we need to question the features of each visualization tool that fits our company’s criteria. Even though each tool provides similar results, the procedures to achieve those results are different depending on the tool chosen. Most of the visualization tools on the market have most of the features that have been reviewed. However, our interaction with each tool is going to be different. Take your time in studying these tools to ensure that the one selected does what you want, in the way you want.