Tableau, an international software development company for managing, representing and visualizing data, has identified data storytelling as one of the major data trends of 2020.
According to the company’s report, the trend of organizing data within a narrative structure is gaining momentum. And–the analysis says–data storytelling is often associated with an interactive form of fruition that then allows users to actively become part of the story.
But why this trend? The answer is simple: we like stories, and brands aim to give us memorable and authentic experiences, no matter what the message. Data storytelling is therefore an effective way for companies to convey information to us by engaging us much more than simple numbers could.
Here is one example that many of us remember, the “Wrapped 2019” with which Spotify told users about all the music they listened to during the year in a distinctly memorable way.
Storytelling: what exactly is it?
Before delving into the intricacies of data storytelling, let’s start with a broader definition of a term that is widely used but not so easy to understand.
Storytelling means conveying content and values of a brand and its audience through recurring and recognizable narrative patterns. This approach can take the form of a single communication element (e.g., a site page or social post) or a larger strategic project, consistent with brand identity, tone of voice, positioning, etc.
As Christian Salmon says so well in his Storytelling. The Story Factory:
“The purpose of storytelling marketing is no longer simply to convince the consumer to buy the product, but also to immerse them in a narrative universe, to engage them in a credible story. It is no longer about seducing or convincing, but about producing a credibility effect.”
And how to succeed in producing a “credibility effect,” thus structuring a storytelling project that works?
- The essential and fundamental starting point is to speak the same language. Of those who are listening or reading us at that moment, of those who are enjoying our narrative (whether verbal or visual) and also of those who may do so in the future: in short, using the right tone of voice. This requires a careful and lengthy analysis and listening phase, of the audience and the context.
- Also, there is no good story without good design. This phase consists of selecting and choosing the narrative patterns that best suit the content to be told, in line with the communication objectives.
- At this point it is time to ask: Who are the main characters in our story? What is the main message, context, mission, magical objects, moral (if any)? And finally … pen in hand: it’s time to create!
Data storytelling, or how to tell the story of data (without boring)
Can data also be told? Well, anything can be told. And doing it with content as typically aseptic and boring as data can be really interesting and inspiring.
Let’s see together why and how.
Why tell about data?
Let’s start with an undisputed fact: Everyone likes stories, always has. Whether we realize it or not, we are all attracted to stories, and when we are about to listen to one, we immediately recognize that we are in front of a narrative.
This aspect has to do with the importance of “speaking the same language” that we mentioned just above, and it also reveals one of the magical powers of storytelling: the means to understand and decode the messages of stories are within us, innate and always ready to “activate” with each narrative experience.
This happens because stories follow recurring, shared and universal patterns: archetypes.
And that is precisely why we like them so much.
The reasons why data storytelling is worth doing are the same reasons why more and more brands are choosing to make storytelling a real communication strategy. The stories:
- They engage us. While detailed information activates only the two areas of the brain devoted to language (Broca and Wernicke), stories Stanford study revealed that 63% of students remember stories immediately. But only 5 percent can memorize a statistic.
Doing data storytelling–thus–makes it possible to transform boring content, devoid of biographical context and meaning, into memorable content that conveys meaningful information and fits into a shareable imagery, creating an immersive experience.
What does data storytelling consist of
The phrase data storytelling is often associated with data visualizations and infographics. Data storytelling is then interpreted as simply organizing data visually in a way that is effective and impactful. But it is much more than that.
Data storytelling is a structured approach to communicating insights from data and involves a combination of three key elements: data, visuals, and storytelling.
So how do we structure data into an engaging narrative? By combining these three elements in an incisive way.
When narrative is paired with data, it helps explain to the audience what is happening and why a particular insight is important. Often, commentary and contextualization will then be needed to fully appreciate an insight.
Visuals can enlighten audiences about insights they would not see without charts, photos, or illustrations. Without visual support, many interesting insights would remain hidden (and forgotten) in Excel columns.
Finally, when narrative and images are blended together, they can engage or even entertain the audience. And when you combine the right images and narrative with the right data, you have a data story that can influence and drive change.
Beautiful examples of data storytelling on statistics and current affairs
Here now are a few beautiful examples of data storytelling to get you in the thick of things. The projects I report on are all finalists in the 2020 Malofiej Awards, considered the Pulitzer Prize for infographic projects in which news outlets, public and private entities from around the world participate each year.
And so-let the experience begin!
1. Are we losing victims of sexual violence?
This Australian project shines a light on the problem of sexual violence against women in the country, highlighting how there are often far fewer reports than crimes and how too many times trials end up failing victims.
The most striking aspect of this tale is its incisiveness and the involvement it manages to create.
This almost magnetic effect is given by multiple elements:
- The combination of multiple communicative elements: photos, text, audio tracks, illustrations, animations.
- The strong characterization of the protagonists of this story: women. Each person has a face, a voice, a personality.
- The great weight given to context, which, rather than “stealing the show” from the data, enhances and highlights them, making them truly memorable.
2. Which children are adopted (and which are not) in Brazil
Metaphors, metaphors, and more metaphors: those used to tell the story of Brazilian children for adoption are very simple and at the same time very powerful.
It is simply impossible to forget this tale once given even a glance, because it speaks in a language that reaches just about everyone and has the power not to leave you indifferent, not even a little.
The highlight of this project is undoubtedly its interactive nature:
If you try to click on that button, that’s when these yellow flowers come alive and after a few seconds we can “read” data about the adoption time of Brazilian children by looking at a flower meadow. Each variable regarding the child (age, psychophysical condition, and presence or absence of siblings) is represented with a plant detail.
Thanks to a brief initial legend that helps us interpret this information, we are catapulted into an immersive experience. The fact that this begins with an action on our part, an interaction, immediately brings us into the narrative and makes us part of the story.
Therefore, all the data and information we encounter later will have a greater impact on us: because now this story has also become our own.
3. If you ruled the world
Which countries are governed by a monarchy? How many female governors exist? How has power been distributed throughout the years in the various nations? The answers to all these questions (and many more) are nothing more than data. So much and potentially immediately forgettable data.
But the story changes if you become the protagonist: at that point it is impossible to forget.
For example, I in the start field selected to be a 27-year-old female Italian, and here is one of the data that appeared to me:
Here again, the power of storytelling lies in turning things that do not concern us-or concern us little-into elements that have to do with us.
“You are the white dot” is the phrase that appears at the beginning of the interactive, personalized experience. As if to say: you are this, all the story (and all the data) I am about to tell you is told from your point of view.
I don’t easily forget that I was a white dot for a day, do you?
