Make communications more effective by going visual

Mark McCrindle, Social Researcher, McCrindle Research, speaks at a keynote
during the Tableau on Tour roadshow in Singapore.

Mark McCrindle, Social Researcher, McCrindle Research, says visualisation is one of the best ways to communicate today. In his keynote at the Tableau on Tour conference in Singapore, McCrindle said: "Great content, poorly presented, doesn't have an impact.

"We live in a visual world, we are visual people...We process visuals far more quickly, that's why safety messages are always in visual form."

According to McCrindle, Excel spreadsheets may convey data, but visuals do it more effectively. He praised the visuals available from the Department of Statistics (SingStats) in Singapore - "(they've) got more infographics than I have ever seen on any statistical website in any country" - and shared some of the infographics from the SingStats site during his keynote.

McCrindle also pointed out that communication is changing as different generations speak a different language. Generation Z in particular is extremely mobile, digital, and visual in terms of information is processed, he said. Interactive data is the type of data that they respond to, he noted.

"In this decade we have entered the great screen age, and this has changed the way we process information," he said. "If we want to connect with a global, mobile, social generation we have to find new ways of communicating."

Other factors that contribute to effective communication include relevance and responsiveness to change. "It's data storytelling," he explained.

A selection of slides from McCrindle's presentation:

The visual element in 'research', 'insight' and 'foresee'. 

Some of the visualisations available on Singapore's Singstats website.

The three symbols that Gen Z are most afraid of.

An example of a visual sign which is now outdated, and hence irrelevant for visual communication. The stylised figure of a swimmer with hands up in distress can also be read as the popular social media acronym LOL, or 'laugh out loud'.

Interested?

View infographics from the Department of Statistics, Singapore
View visualisations made with Tableau Public
Get a free trial of Tableau

Read the TechTrade Asia blog posts about building a Smart Nation and empowering users with data visualisation

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