In our workshops on data storytelling, dashboard design, and data visualization, we are always emphasing the need to simplify. Less is more.
Who else believes in “less is more?” Well, Marie Kondo, of course. Kondo is the reigning guru of tidying-up and host of the Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.
I wondered whether we could apply Kondo’s 6 Rules of Tidying Up to the hard work of communicating with data. Instead of staring dejectedly into that mess of a closet, shift your gaze to that dashboard or report that you know needs some tough love.
Rule #1: Commit yourself to tidying up
The KonMari Method may seem a little hard. It does require time and effort. But, having picked up this book with the intention of at least making a good stab at seriously tidying up, please keep reading. And believe in yourself. Once you have made up your mind, all you need to do is to apply the right method.
That’s right: it is time to fix that dashboard. No more nibbling around the edges or incremental revisions. And certainly no more adding of metrics. We’re going to make it simple, clear, and intuitive — both for you and the sanity of your audience.
Rule #2: Imagine your ideal lifestyle
Think about what kind of house you want to live in and how you want to live in it. In other words, describe your ideal lifestyle. If you like drawing, sketch out what it looks like. If you prefer to write, describe it in a notebook. You can also cut out photos from magazines.
Ideally, you’d like your audience to be delighted by the experience of seeing, learning from, and drawing insights from your data.
Get inspired by the people who create data stories. Here’s a bunch of places I go for inspiration: The New York Times’ interactives, The Upshot, The Washington Post, Google News Lab, The Guardian's interactives, The r/dataisbeautiful subreddit, Kantar's Information Is Beautiful Awards, Andy Kirk's Visualizing Data, Pudding
Rule #3: Finish discarding first
One characteristic of people who never seem to finish tidying up is that they attempt to store everything without getting rid of anything…The key to success in tidying is to finish discarding first. You can only plan where to store your things and what to store them in once you’ve decided what to keep and what to discard, because only then will you have an accurate grasp of how much actually needs to be stored.
Reporting on data — even when it is un-useful — is a natural instinct. We went through the trouble of gathering the data, shouldn’t it see the light of day? Not necessarily. The show-everything, data-hoarding approach leads to overcomplicated, confusing data communication. Our dashboards don’t need to include every potential metric, every possible filter, and piles of charts.
Tidying up means we only showcase the data that brings us direct, clear value — everything else should be discarded from our presentations.
Rule #4: Tidy by category, not by location
One of the most common mistakes people make is to tidy room by room. This approach doesn’t work because people think they have tidied up when in fact they have only shuffled their things around from one location to another or scattered items in the same category around the house, making it impossible to get an accurate grasp of the volume of things they actually own.
I like this. A dashboard or report is composed of a bunch of different elements: key metrics, charts/visualizations, titles and labels, and filters. Pick one type of element at a time, and tidy it up consistently.
Rule #5: Follow the right order
It is crucial not only to tidy by category but also to follow the correct order, which is clothes, books, papers, komono (miscellany), and finally, sentimental items....Clothes are ideal for practising this skill, while photos and other sentimental items are the epitome of what you should not touch until you have perfected it.
Marie Kondo appreciates that the novice tidy-er needs to practice the easy stuff before moving on to the emotionally and mentally-challenging elements. Here’s the order I would propose:
Chartjunk — the visual elements on your charts and tables that distract from the message
Titles and labels — simplify the language and flow
Filters — remove speculative filtering options to leave only the items you know you need
Charts/visualizations — discard the items that don’t contribute to the core message and provide useful insights
Metrics — fewer key metrics will keep your audience far more focused
Rule #6: Ask yourself if it 'sparks joy'
The criterion for deciding what to keep and what to discard is whether or not something sparks joy....When something sparks joy, you should feel a little thrill, as if the cells in your body are slowly rising. When you hold something that doesn’t bring you joy, however, you will notice that your body feels heavier.
What is the joy we are looking for when we present data? It is the pleasure of the “ah-ha” moment. The recognition that you now understand something new about how your business works. Most importantly, the joy is in knowing how the insight can be applied to make a positive change.
I’ll leave you with these:
*Watching Tidying Up*
— EdFox, Secret Chimp (@edfoxcomedy) January 21, 2019
Marie Kondo: "The 1st step is to put all your clothes in a pile."
My kids: "We're way ahead of you."
I find old cables in my house that I know I should throw out but then I'm like 'nah I better keep that just incase someone comes round with a nokia n95 and needs to connect it to a fax machine'.
— Matt Okine (@mattokine) January 6, 2019