As a data professional in Higher Ed, I’m constantly inspired by the incredible work that colleagues across units—like the Registrar, Institutional Research, Student Affairs, and Alumni offices—are doing. Whether using Tableau, Power BI, Cognos, Oracle Analytics, or even MS Excel, there's a vast array of visualizations that showcase the creative potential of data. These works, often shared on platforms like Tableau Public, inspire me to think more about the process that goes into creating these visualizations and how sharing them helps us grow as a community.
But, beyond the digital dashboards we create for work, there's an equally important process that happens before a data viz even hits the screen—sketching! I’m curious about the vizzing you do before you turn to your software. Do you sketch your ideas on paper first? Is there a specific reason you sketch your ideas on paper? How is the "traditional" sketching process different to the digital one? Also, what might you do outside of work—what inspires you to create visualizations in your spare time? What do you learn by sharing your vizzes with others, whether publicly or privately?
Sketching data visualizations is a practice that’s often overlooked in the digital age, but it’s a powerful step in unlocking creative thinking. Before jumping into any software, I find that sketching on paper gives me the freedom to experiment with different chart types, concepts, and layouts without being restricted by tools.
Image courtesy by author
It’s in these sketches where I often discover the most innovative ideas that ultimately make it into my final work. It is also during this preparatory phase that I get to explore, fail, fail some more, and finally get something that might end up working in my data viz tool of choice. I approach this process the same way I do with my art wall. It starts with a general idea with the bits and pieces being assembled on the floor (not the final space upon which the art will be displayed). Mulitiple iterations follow (one might argue perhaps too many?). When it all comes together, we have the wireframe and all it takes is a couple of low-tech tools and a little creativity to implement the final product. It's not perfect but certainly a lot tidier and intentional because of the time taken to sketch out the idea.
Image courtesy by author
One of my all-time favorite visualizations—created early in my data visualization journey using a sketch-first approach—is a movie-poster-inspired project called "Don't Pass on the Grubs" which went on to win Viz of the Day (#VOTD). This piece was an exploration of how storytelling and data can work together, and sketching the concept beforehand helped me refine the narrative and design before moving to the digital stage.
Another visualization that continues to inspire me is Nandini Pundir's "100 Most Spoken Languages Around the World." It's a celebration of linguistic diversity that beautifully combines educational content with stunning design. Seeing this kind of work makes me want to push my own limits and continuously improve how I communicate data. I wonder if the author first sketched our her idea before diving into Tableau.
And speaking of creative practices, one of my latest favorite resources is "Observe, Collect, Draw! A Visual Journal" by Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec. It’s a wonderful reminder that data visualization doesn’t always have to be digital. Drawing on paper brings several benefits:
1) Unlocking creative thinking by allowing rapid exploration of multiple chart types and concepts without the limitations of software.
2) Enhancing comprehension and communication, making complex ideas explicit while facilitating productive discussion and collaboration.
3) Boosting spatial and cognitive processing, which strengthens a person’s ability to perceive and organize visual information effectively.
Image courtesy by author
The process of sketching, then sharing, is not just a way to refine your visualizations—it’s a way to connect with others in the data visualization community. Whether through personal projects, public portfolios, or competition entries, sharing your work can spark meaningful conversations, build your skills, and open up new ways of thinking about data.
So, I’d love to hear from you—what’s the process you follow when creating a data visualization? Do you sketch ideas first? Are there any vizzes you're particularly proud of that you'd like to share with the community? Or are there projects that you keep private because they didn’t quite make the cut? Whatever the case, sharing our process can be just as rewarding as sharing the final product.
Let's all continue to share our work and inspire each other.
Best,
Anna
References:
Evergreen, A. (2021, February 22). How drawing makes us better at data visualization. Depict Data Studio. https://depictdatastudio.com/how-drawing-makes-us-better-at-data-visualization/
Northeastern University Data Culture Group. (2021, March 11). How and why we sketch when visualizing data. Data Culture at Northeastern University. https://dataculture.northeastern.edu/2021/03/11/sketching-data-viz.html
Hsi, S., & Parsons, P. (2024, March 10). How three-dimensional sketching environments affect spatial thinking. Frontiers in Psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10927127/