Ruth Hamberg
Implement data visualization standards in a fast-moving organization serving startup founders.
Design
Internal user needs
Internal users range from novice to advanced in both chart design and data literacy; they include executive leadership, project managers and analysts
External user needs
External audiences include startup founders and investors
The deployment of data visualization standards directly into templates was essential for adoption of the standards. By making the brand choice the easy choice, we created the conditions for long-term consistency.
The unified standard revolutionized data presentation for the company and its audiences. Prior to this project, colors and uses had been inconsistent and often unclear, resulting in a range of formats presented to clients. The new standards enabled the team to create brand-aligned visuals with clear takeaways, while audiences could quickly understand and act on the most important themes for each report. The internal team shortened the timeline to create client-ready client charts. Whatever the level of data literacy, each person was equipped to produce readable charts. Meanwhile, clients saw a more consistent, clear and modern presentation of data integrated with other reporting materials.
Activities
This was an early iteration of the project. The next steps would have included consolidation and cleaning up of the pages to make them more streamlined. However, the organization entered another rebrand before the next iteration and the project was put on hold. The standards below remained in use, deployed primarily through templates so the team could keep producing reports during the rebrand.