Best of Tableau Web: July 2022

A highlight of tips, tricks and inspiration for Tableau and data visualization.

Collage of data visualizations featured in Best of Tableau Web

Happy Dog Days of Summer, DataFam!

I recently learned that the phrase Dog Days of Summer has nothing to do with dogs, rather, it’s a reference to the celestial bodies above. In particular, it refers to Sirius, the dog star, and how it remains relatively stationary in the same region of the sky from July 7 to August 11. Who knew? Speaking of space …

If you are anything like me, you’ve been gazing at the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images with nothing but wonder! It’s amazing to compare those images to the Hubble telescope and see just how far the technology has come. Yet we wouldn’t have JWST without Hubble—it paved the way for deep space exploration, just as other telescopes and probes have done since we started to explore space.

Side by side comparison of Hubble Telescope view (left) and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), right

It’s moments like these that cause me to reflect. Similar to the advancements in telescope technology, data visualizations 10 years ago were no where near the art they’ve become today. Vizzes advance as the industry learns more about accessibility and human cognition, and as improved data literacy pushes the world to be more data driven. Consider every day things like television and print media—more data visualizations are seeping into the mainstream. For example, analytics was front and center during the Winter Olympic Games. Broadcasters discussed and displayed analytics in sports like figure skating, speed skating, and bobsled. Go TEAM DATA!

Luge start, split, and finish times relative to first place

Explore whether a great start is necessary for a great finish in the luge using men’s and women’s singles luge time data from the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics for Team USA.

The Tableau Community has accelerated how it continues to push the tool as well. In 2013 (and still today) Kelly Martin blew us away with her Bird Strikes Redoux. A mere four years later, Chantilly Jagggernauth dropped beautiful work like the Top 3 Restricted Dietary Requirements Around the Globe. And this year, work from Brian Moore like the 2022 NFL Player Movement Tracker pushed the medium further still.

The beautiful thing about all this advancement is that we stand on the shoulders of those early data viz giants. Each step forward is aided by those who blazed earlier trails. In moments of reflection like these, there’s gratitude.

So thank you to all who have contributed to the Tableau Community and the data community at large. Without your willingness to share, experiment, and push the acceptable “best practices” we would not be where we are today. And a special thank you to those who have had work featured in Best of the Tableau Web over the years.

With that, let’s keep forging ahead. Let’s see what the community is laying down with this month’s Best of the Tableau Web.