Data Visualization with Tableau Project

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/dataviz-project

Introduction

## Course Review: Data Visualization with Tableau Project on Coursera In today's data-driven landscape, the ability to visualize data effectively is crucial for delivering insights and making informed decisions. For those looking to enhance their skills in data visualization, the "Data Visualization with Tableau Project" on Coursera is an excellent opportunity that combines practical experience with guided learning. This project-based course is designed to help learners create a portfolio-worthy data visualization that can be showcased on Tableau Public, making it ideal for both beginners and those looking to sharpen their existing skills in Tableau. ### Course Overview The course guides you through the entire process of creating a data visualization project from start to finish. Students are encouraged to reflect on their personal interests as they craft a single-frame or multi-frame data story. The course’s structure is built around various milestones, providing both instruction and feedback, enabling participants to cultivate a deeper understanding of the subject matter. ### Syllabus Breakdown 1. **Getting Started and Milestone 1: Develop a Project Proposal** - This initial milestone sets the stage for your project. You’ll define the project goals, the questions you aim to explore, and the intended outcomes. - Emphasis is placed on understanding the audience's needs and outlining any potential challenges you might face. 2. **Milestone 2: Importing and Prepping the Data** - Here, you acquire your chosen dataset, import it into Tableau, and prepare it for analysis, equipping you with essential data management skills. 3. **Milestone 3: Exploratory Analysis** - This stage involves conducting exploratory data analysis to identify key metrics and create KPIs. You’ll be applying advanced features in Tableau, such as filters and parameters, to develop insightful dashboards. - The course reinforces visual and cognitive design principles, ensuring that your visualizations are not only informative but also engaging. 4. **Milestone 4: Storytelling and Storyboarding** - Moving beyond technical skills, this milestone focuses on the narrative aspect of data visualization. You will create a structured storyboard, giving context to your visualizations and ensuring they convey a clear message. 5. **Milestone 5: Final Presentation** - In the final stage, you will polish your visualizations, ensuring they meet both the stakeholders' needs and the principles of effective design. This culminates in a polished data story that is prepared for presentation or sharing. ### Review and Recommendations I highly recommend the "Data Visualization with Tableau Project" course for several reasons: - **Hands-On Learning:** The project-based approach ensures that you not only learn concepts but also apply them in real-world scenarios, ultimately resulting in tangible outcomes. - **Skill Development:** Each milestone is crafted to enhance specific skills, from initial project planning to intricate storytelling techniques, making it a comprehensive learning arc. - **Peer Feedback:** The opportunity for peer review allows for constructive feedback and engagement with a community of like-minded learners, which can further enhance your learning experience. - **Portfolio-Ready Work:** Completing this course equips you with a reliable piece of work to showcase in your portfolio, an invaluable asset for career advancement in data visualization and analysis roles. ### Final Thoughts In an era where data is abundant, being able to visualize and interpret it is a critical skill. The "Data Visualization with Tableau Project" course on Coursera not only provides the technical skills necessary to excel in data visualization but also empowers you to communicate stories through data effectively. Whether you're a novice looking to learn or a professional aiming to build on existing skills, this course is an excellent choice to elevate your abilities in Tableau and data storytelling.

Syllabus

Getting Started and Milestone 1: Develop a Project Proposal

In this first milestone, you will write a project proposal that will capture the “who, what, why and how” of your project plus any challenges that you foresee along the way. Your proposal will include: a specific business case or personal objective, any intended outcomes, a description of the needs of the intended audience, a description of the dataset to be used, and any foreseeable challenges.

In milestone two, you will acquire the dataset that supports your project proposal, import it into Tableau, and prepare the data for analysis.

In this milestone, you will use the skills that you have learned in the specialization to perform exploratory analysis of your data. You will identify key metrics in the data and create KPIs, and you will use those KPIs to create dashboards that allow for comparative views and “brushing and linking.” This will allow us to begin to think about the proper context of developing an explanatory analysis that will form the basis for the remaining milestones. Be sure your visualizations demonstrate the visual and cognitive design principles learned throughout the Specialization, and make use of advanced features like hierarchies, actions, filters and parameters.

In this module, you will continue to work through Milestone 3, your exploratory analysis and dashboard creation as outlined in the third week. You will then submit your deliverables for peer review.

In this milestone, you will take a short but essential break from the data visualization software and begin to give structure to your data stories. You will define the basic story arc of your data story, or draft a narrative description of what your data visualization communicates. You have started that process in the previous milestones, but now we will start assembling our story using Story Points.

In this final milestone, you will apply design elements from our design checklist. You have met the goals of the stakeholder’s and will complete your design to meet the needs of the audience. You will apply the cognitive and visual design concepts learned throughout this Specialization and create a visualization or data story that leaves a lasting impression with your audience.