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5 Books To Take Your Data Visualization Skills to The Next Level

Better visualizations equal better communication

Photo by Edward Howell on Unsplash
Photo by Edward Howell on Unsplash

One of the things that attracted me the most about Data Science is that it is like solving a puzzle. The raw data is your clues, and it has in it some secret patterns and trends that you need to reveal to help you make better decisions in the future. Discovering these patterns and trends is basically what data science is all about.

I like to think about revealing these patterns by understanding the story the data is trying to convey. This is the primary step in every data science project. When a data scientist is first presented with raw data and some requirements, you will need to explore the data and try to figure out if there is anything hidden within it. Then you will analyze it, apply your models and obtain some results.

One skill that will help you perform a better initial data analysis and present your final results is visualization. Data Visualization is one of the most critical and creative aspects of data science. Knowing what visualization to use can help you find patterns quickly or spend hours – maybe days – finding valuable insights into your data.

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The same applies to presenting your findings. If you use the correct visualizations, it will be easier for you to communicate your results. Hence, people will understand them better and fast; therefore, working on your data visualization skills is definitely a worthwhile effort. Furthermore, it will help you perform your job much more efficiently.

As a book lover, my go-to way to develop my skills is reading books about that skill. So in this article, I will propose to you my favorite data visualization books that I am sure will help you take your data visualization game to the next level.

№1: Effective Data Visualization: The Right Chart for the Right Data

Let’s start this list with a book by Stephanie D. H. Evergreen, a researcher that focuses on helping people better communicate their work through visualizations and graphs. Her first book on this list is Effective Data Visualization: The Right Chart for the Right Data.

Although, this book focuses on using Excel charts and graphs to improve data findings communications. The lessons you will learn from reading it can be applied to any software and any visualization tool you are using. The best part about books written by Evergreen is how she uses a humorous and easy-to-follow approach to explaining concepts and delivering different data stories.

The book covers many concepts, from what makes a successful visualization to choosing the correct graph for your data, how colors affect the charts, and how to better share your data findings with your colleagues or clients.

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№2: Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals

Next up is Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals by Cole Knafic. This book and its practice sequel will help you learn the basics of compelling storytelling through visualizations. Reading this book, you will learn how to take your data and make it tell its story.

The book will take you through the steps to create engaging, informative, and compelling visualizations applied to real-life problems. You will learn the importance of context in your visualization, choosing a graph type, eliminating unnecessary information, and learning how to redirect your audience’s attention to the main points of your visualizations.

So, if you want to know how to turn your data into an efficient and unforgettable visual, this book will give you all the information you need to deliver your finding.

№3: The Data Visualization Sketchbook

Another great book by Stephanie Evergreen is The Data Visualization Sketchbook. This book is all about sketching for those of us who like to sketch things with hand before turning them into visual graphics. It will take you through sketching graphs, dashboards, slide design, and a report structure.

When I was learning how to code, I loved solving it first using a pen and paper; doing so will help me better understand that problem and see new ways to solve it. The same applies to visualization as well. The book will show you how to create a good composition and fit different graphs in the same infographics or dashboard.

№4: Better Data Visualizations: A Guide for Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks

next up is a book by Jonathan Schwabish. An economist and data visualizations writer. Jonathan’s writings help you improve how they communicate their work and findings to their colleagues, partners, clients, and constituents. The book that made it to this list is Better Data Visualizations: A Guide for Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks.

Today, and more than ever, any content we need to share with the world needs to be visual to spread and be understood by others. One of the essential branches of any field is research. Research is what helps us come up with new algorithms and better solutions for our problems. But, researchers are never taught how to present their findings better.

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№5: Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences

Last but not least, an all-time favorite book of mine is Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences by the communication expert Nancy Duarte. Creating data visualizations is not just about putting together beautiful graphs or experimenting with color theory; it is about creating a visual representation of data that your audience and colleagues will remember.

In this book, Nancy will teach you how to create remembered data visualization through the usage of story principles, how to place your audience in the story and make them relate to your findings, and communicate with them in a structured, effective way.

Final Thoughts

To be a good data scientist, you need to master a few skills, skills that for a second may not seem related, but together they make sense forming the field of data science. These skills include programming, data visualization, business models, maths, and statistics.

When I started my data science journey, most of the skills, I needed to learn or develop seemed pretty straightforward. But, all but data visualization, I felt that this particular skill required more creativity and visual intelligence I thought I didn’t possess. But, that made it more critical for me to work harder on that skill than others.

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Data visualization is essential to data science; using the correct visualization will help you understand the data better; hence, choose the correct model faster, and present your finding more efficiently. In this article, I shared 5 great books that can help you take your data visualization skills to the next level and become a better communicator.


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