Bookshelf: "Data: Visualization, Narrative, Application" by Cole Nussbaumer Naflic / Skillbox Media

Cole Nussbaumer Naflic, a data visualization specialist and former Google analyst, argues that behind any data there is a story. Naflik and her team at Storytelling with Data currently offer courses, trainings, and workshops aimed at teaching anyone how to effectively and engagingly present information using graphs and charts. She also maintains a blog of the same name, where she shares examples of unsuccessful visualizations and provides recommendations for improvement. The book, titled "Data: Visualize, Tell, Use," is a practical guide that is useful for developing educational presentations and slide courses, as well as for preparing analytical reports in a business environment. The book first appeared in English in 2015 and quickly gained popularity, becoming an international bestseller. In 2020, it was translated into Russian by MIF Publishing House, and a reprint was released in 2025.

Naflik shares his experience gained working with clients from a variety of industries, including education, healthcare, IT, and government. The book features a variety of examples covering a wide range of topics, and Naflik's methodology is universal and suitable for visualizing any data. The author presents his ideas in six lessons:

To successfully engage with your audience, it's important to clarify several key points. First, determine who exactly your target group is. Then, figure out what information or actions you want to convey to this audience. Finally, decide how you will communicate with them: whether it will be an in-person presentation or an electronic document.
Determine the best way to visualize the information. According to Naflik, there are many methods for presenting data, but only ten key formats can handle most tasks. In some cases, plain text or tables are preferable. In other words, there's no need to resort to graphs without a good reason.
Eliminate unnecessary information. Naflik emphasizes the importance of being aware of cognitive load and strongly advises eliminating all elements that don't add semantic meaning and don't contribute to better understanding. Furthermore, the author suggests using Gestalt principles—a system of laws that explain how people perceive images and form a unified whole from them. This will allow you to develop a design that is more digestible.
Consider your audience. The author shares tips on which elements and techniques can highlight key points on a slide.
Approach it with a designer's mindset. In this section, Naflik delves into the basic principles that will help you create graphs and charts that are not only highly informative but also visually appealing.
Imagine a compelling story. The author shares various approaches to storytelling, including horizontal and vertical logic, the "reverse storyboard" method, and the concept of "fresh perspective." Naflik argues that using these strategies will create a compelling narrative that can be presented either as a series of slides or through individual elements of a single slide.

By analyzing each lesson, the author demonstrates the full cycle of data visualization using a practical example, from defining the context to presenting the narrative on the finished slides.

The Storytelling with Data blog post contains numerous examples of the "before-after" format, although they are presented in English. One such example demonstrates a common problem: a slide that overwhelms with information, making it unclear what points should be emphasized and what actions are expected of the audience.

The vertical axis displays the number of full-time employees involved in the company's projects. The columns represent the projected number of employees expected to be employed over the course of a month, while the lines illustrate the actual number of employees involved in the projects. This data is also presented in the table below.

Image: Storytelling with data

In the "After" version of the slide, all unnecessary information and visuals were removed. elements such as grid lines. Information from various projects was combined to more clearly convey a key idea: the planning process significantly underestimated the number of employees needed to complete the projects. This concept was highlighted in the slide title, and a call to action was added at the bottom: "Let's discuss how we can raise funding to cover the cost of additional employees."

To highlight the differences between planned and actual indicators, they have been highlighted in orange. The chart also displays an important number that audiences should consider: in recent months, 1,026 more people have been involved in projects than originally estimated.

Image: Storytelling with data

If necessary, you can enrich this graph with additional information, and also create slides that will present data on specific projects.

This material will be useful for those who want to master data visualization skills for preparing presentations intended for students, colleagues, business partners, and a wide audience.

To learn more exciting information about education, join our Telegram channel! We will be glad to see you among our subscribers!

Bookshelf: "Data: Visualization, Narrative, Application" by Cole Nussbaumer Naflic

Contents: