Tableau Visualization Best Practices Course Description

Introduction and Overview

• Level Setting – Terminology
• Getting Started – creating some powerful visualizations quickly

Getting Started

• Connecting to Data and introduction to data source concepts
• Working with data files versus database servers
• Data Types and Roles
• Dimension versus Measures
• Discrete versus Continuous
• The meaning of pill colors
• Understanding the Tableau workspace
• Dimensions and Measures
• Using Show Me!
• Tour of Shelves (How shelves and marks work)
• Building Basic Views
• Help Menu and Samples
• Saving and Sharing your work

Concepts and Options when Connecting to Data

• Overview of other connection options
• Joining multiple tables
• Copy and Paste
• Data Extracts
• Publishing and Re-using Data Connections
• Understand how to deal with data changes in your data source such as field addition, deletion or name change
• Re-using and sharing data connections – the concept of meta data
• Working with multiple connections in the same workbook

Analysis

• Creating Views
• Marks
• Size and Transparency
• Highlighting
• Working with Dates
• Chart Types
• Geographic Map
• Paging / Trails
• Heat Map
• Scatter Plots
• Bar Charts
• Crosstabs / Text Tables
• Sparklines
• Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Bands
• Analyzing
• Sorting & Grouping
• Aliases
• Filtering and Quick Filters
• Cross-Tabs (Pivot Tables)
• Totals and Subtotals
• Drilling Down and Drill Through
• Aggregation and Disaggregation
• KPI Symbols / Shapes

Getting Started with Calculated Fields

• Basic Arithmetic Calculations
• Working with Totals
• Custom Aggregations
• Logic Statements

Working with Parameters

• Parameter Basics
• Data types of parameters
• Using parameters in calculated fields
• Inputting parameter values and parameter control options
• Using parameters for field selections, logic statements, Top X

Building Interactive Dashboards

• Combining multiple visualizations into a dashboard
• Making your worksheet interactive by using actions and filters
• Quick Filters
• Dashboard Objects
• Filter Actions
• Highlighting and Actions
• Performance

Best Practices in Dashboard Design

• Define “dashboard”
• Introduce end-user perspective
• Define the three types of dashboards
• Understand the characteristics of each type of dashboard
• Review examples of types of dashboards
• Test your understanding of the three types of dashboards

Hacking the Human Brain

• How were best practices uncovered?
• Understand the difference between perception and cognition
• See examples of dashboards that employ perception versus cognition
• Introduce visual memory, especially visual short-term memory
• See perceptual popout in action
• Define the relationship between visual memory and visual processing
• Categorize and see examples of each type of visual feature that takes advantage of visual memory
• Test your own visual processing abilities
• Approaches to avoid with visual features
• Define and provide examples of the three types of data
• Align types of data with optimal visual features to use

Common Mistakes

• List the most common mistakes designers make
• Lack of Context
• Excessive Detail or Precision
• Scrolling
• Poor Measure Selection
• Inappropriate Visual Features
• Poor Use of Visual Features
• Meaningless Variety
• Incorrectly Encoding Quantitative Data
• Poor Arrangement
• Inappropriate or Missing Highlighting
• Non-Functional Decoration
• Misuse or Excessive Use of Color
• Poor Visual Aesthetic
• See examples of each type of mistake
• Discuss more appropriate approaches for each type of mistake

Visual Best Practices

• Understand the need for best practices
• See examples of best practices in action
• Introduce the long history of excellent visuals
• See and critique several examples of visuals
• Highlight mistakes in visual feature use
• Arrive at solutions for each
• Dashboard areas and implicit importance
• Proper use of color
• Implications for color blindness and color deficiency
• Organization of visuals to take advantage of visual processing

Capturing Requirements

• See an example of a recommend requirements checklist
• Work through an exercise in capturing requirements via a checklist

Styling

• Review the types of charts in Tableau
• See examples of each type of chart
• Understand when each type of chart is appropriate
• Importance of consistency

Sharing Workbooks

• Publish to Reader
• Packaged Workbooks
• Publish to Office
• Publish to PDF
• Publish to Tableau Server and Sharing over the Web

Putting it all together

• Scenario-based Review Exercise
• Applying Visual Best Practices to Dashboard Construction

Where to get Further Assistance

• The Help File / Product Manual
• Knowledge base
• Forums
• Whitepapers & Books
• Further Training Offerings & Professional Services
• Technical Support