Viz of the Day: Here’s what you need to know

Editors note: This blog post was syndicated from David Murphy’s original post on his personal website.

Tableau Public is a platform where authors can visualize their data and share their work with thousands of like-minded data enthusiasts around the world. Every weekday, the Tableau Public team selects one data visualization to be featured as Viz of the Day (VOTD). How are these vizzes selected? How can VOTD benefit you? And how can you get involved? I decided to talk to the Tableau Public team to round out my knowledge about the Viz of the Day program. Read on to learn more.

How can Viz of the Day help you?

I’ve been using Tableau Public for years. As a nine-time VOTD recipient, I’ve identified four ways that engaging in Tableau Public’s Viz of the Day program can benefit you:

1. Get inspiration: First off, you don’t know what you don’t know—being exposed to new chart types, design styles, or visualization methods can open your eyes to what’s possible in Tableau.
2. Learn new data skills: Have you ever seen a data visualization that you’re itching to recreate, but not sure where to start? On Tableau public, you can download the workbook, open it up, and see how it was built. This is a great way to learn new Tableau techniques and skills to expand your Tableau toolbox (and maybe even impress your boss at the same time).
3. Connect with the community: Looking to connect with other data geeks? Don’t be afraid to follow VOTD authors on Tableau Public and social media! There are so many talented people in the Tableau Community—this is a great way to find rising stars and established data rock stars and there are plenty of people that are more than willing to give you feedback on your work or help you with a calculation.
4. Get recognized for your work: Lastly, you can nominate yourself or others for VOTD. If your viz is selected, it could be seen by thousands of people! It’s also a nice bit of recognition to demonstrate your talent and creativity—which can be useful when interviewing for jobs. For example, Tableau Public author Zunaira Rasheed landed a job after an employer spotted her Cost of a Night Out VOTD.

VOTD is a great resource for anyone looking to find inspiration, learn new skills, or connect with the #DataFam. Now that you know what VOTD can do for you, let’s take a look at the selection process.

How is Viz of the Day chosen?

The Tableau Public team looks for vizzes that spark meaningful data conversations, showcase what’s possible in Tableau, and highlight the outstanding work of the community. What do visualizations selected for VOTD have in common? I’ve noticed that past VOTDs have the following similarities:

A Viz of the Day…

• Is timely or topical: Does the viz contribute to a relatable trending or newsworthy topic from around the world? This can include holidays, elections, data pertaining to a developing news story, or topics that are trending in the BI community. A recent example is this VOTD by Kate Babineau which shows the locations where New Orleans families can get free meals while schools are closed to coronavirus:
• Communicates a key insight or story: Is there a key insight people can draw from the viz, facilitating conversation? Would this key insight be relatable for a broad audience? This collaborative VOTD by Spencer Baucke and Luke Stanke does a great job of explaining how the stock market has fared during each US presidency:
• Spotlights the diverse Tableau community: Tableau Public is for anyone, so the team looks for work created by authors across industries, regions, and skill level. Check out this VOTD by Hesham Eissa which he received after using Tableau for only six months:
• Includes a novel chart type or Tableau trick: Does the viz represent a novel chart type or Tableau trick that could help unlock possibilities for other users? Has the author also written a blog post to help explain the making of their viz? If so, this could make it a prime candidate for Viz of the Day. Like how Samo Drole created these striking radar charts in Tableau—I didn’t even know this was possible until I saw his viz:
• Highlights new features: Does the viz use new product features (for example, story points or Viz in Tooltips) in a way others want to use? In this viz, I used Viz in Tooltips to provide details about food combinations, helping thousands of people learn to not put salt on their bananas:
• Is visually stunning: Sometimes a viz can go above and beyond the best practices of simplicity, clarity, and efficiency, becoming both a data visualization and a piece of art. James Smith's poster-style VOTD beautifully covers the history of Formula 1 racing:

   

  Click to view the full interactive viz
  

   

  
  

Want to nominate a viz for VOTD? Fill out the Nominate a Viz form here. And keep in mind, there are millions of vizzes published on Tableau Public, so don’t be discouraged if a viz you nominate isn’t featured.

How can you get involved?

You’re probably wondering how to get involved. Here are some ways that you can keep up with Viz of the Day:

• Subscribe to VOTD: Subscribe to Viz of the Day to have each day’s featured viz delivered straight to your inbox or follow @tableaupublic on Twitter.
• Submit your VOTD entries: If you think you’ve got a viz that deserves to be considered, fill out the Nominate a Viz form.