Avoiding Data Pitfalls: How to Steer Clear of Common Blunders When Working with Data and Presenting Analysis and Visualizations

Avoiding Data Pitfalls is a reputation-saving handbook for those who work with data, designed to help you avoid the all-too-common blunders that occur in data analysis, visualization, and presentation. Plenty of data tools exist, along with plenty of books that tell you how to use them―but unless you truly understand how to work with data, each of these tools can ultimately mislead and cause costly mistakes. This book walks you step by step through the full data visualization process, from calculation and analysis through accurate, useful presentation. Common blunders are explored in depth to show you how they arise, how they have become so common, and how you can avoid them from the outset. Then and only then can you take advantage of the wealth of tools that are out there―in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, the right tools can cut down on the time, labor, and myriad decisions that go into each and every data presentation.

Workers in almost every industry are now commonly expected to effectively analyze and present data, even with little or no formal training. There are many pitfalls―some might say chasms―in the process, and no one wants to be the source of a data error that costs money or even lives. This book provides a full walk-through of the process to help you ensure a truly useful result.

• Delve into the "data-reality gap" that grows with our dependence on data
• Learn how the right tools can streamline the visualization process
• Avoid common mistakes in data analysis, visualization, and presentation
• Create and present clear, accurate, effective data visualizations

To err is human, but in today's data-driven world, the stakes can be high and the mistakes costly. Don't rely on "catching" mistakes, avoid them from the outset with the expert instruction in Avoiding Data Pitfalls.

BEN JONES is the Founder and CEO of Data Literacy, LLC, a company that's on a mission to help people speak the language of data. He's the author of Communicating Data with Tableau and 17 Key Traits of Data Literacy, and he also teaches data visualization at the University of Washington's Continuum College. With over 20 years of experience working as a mechanical engineer, a continuous improvement project leader and mentor, and a business intelligence marketer, Ben has learned a great deal about what to do—and what not to do—when working with data.