Data Is An Art, Not Just A Science—And Storytelling Is The Key

Summary

Data science combines science, mathematics, and art, but communication is presented as an often-neglected skill that helps stakeholders understand and act on analysis. Effective data storytelling goes beyond charts and dashboards by framing a business problem as the main character, supplying context, communicating in the audience’s language, and directing action through next steps. The article recommends investing in clean, conformed data foundations and formal support, including Shopify’s data storytelling working group, while also borrowing communication techniques such as Duarte’s Slidedocs visual reports. It further advocates interactive experiences that let audiences filter, drill into, and explore data, illustrated by Shopify’s BFCM 2021 Notebook, which helped merchants examine sales, products, days, and locations. The conclusion is that storytelling can build trust and increase data fluency.

Context

Data scientists may prioritize the scientific side of their work while neglecting the artistic and communicative skills needed for stakeholders to understand analysis and act on it. Charts, reports, and dashboards can leave audiences responsible for uncovering the story and deciding what to do with the information.

Approach / What changed

The article structures data stories around a business problem, contextual setting, audience-aware narrator, and action-oriented plot. It recommends strong, clean, conformed data foundations; a data storytelling working group for review and guidance; communication tools such as Slidedocs; and interactive visualizations that let users filter, drill into, and explore data, as demonstrated by Shopify’s BFCM 2021 Notebook.

Takeaways

• A data story should identify the business problem, provide relevant context, use language suited to its audience, and recommend next steps.
• Shopify institutionalized data storytelling through a data-scientist-led working group that reviews projects and helps improve their framing, context, and stakeholder communication.
• The BFCM 2021 Notebook let merchants explore sales, products, days of the week, and locations interactively, and view the queries behind visualizations.

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