Not Your Typical Data Visualization Collaboration

Tableau Public authors Irene Diomi and Saverio Rochetti share their recent data visualization collaboration efforts this week on the blog.

Irene and Saverio decided to do a three months project to produce six visualizations. The idea was they would each do one viz every month on the same dataset. They were both working on their own data visualization while supporting each other. In the process, they shared their techniques, gave each other feedback, and when their visualizations were ready, shared them on Twitter.

Irene: Last year, Saverio and I decided to do a collaboration viz. I had no prior experience collaborating with someone from the Tableau Community. At first, the traditional route of creating a viz together seemed the way to go. But then, we decided to do it in our own way. What I want to emphasize here is that there is no "correct" way of collaborating and you can find what works best for your collaborator and yourself.

I really enjoyed working with Saverio. I was starting a new job and he was very flexible with me in terms of the deadline. Moreover, having someone to work with motivated me to push myself. While collaborating, we talked and discussed our designs and ideas, and I got an insight into Saverio’s design process.

I think Saverio particularly has a very interesting process as he can create vizzes quickly and make them look pretty. I certainly do take more time while designing so it was really interesting to me to better understand his design process. It was great being able to receive feedback from him, and accessing that feedback, I was able to adjust my vizzes which always ended up looking better!

What they created

Employment rate usa 2020

Saverio Rocchetti

Jobs By Ethnicities (US)

Irene Diomi

US Population by Age

Irene Diomi

US Population

Saverio Rocchetti

NOBEL GAP

Saverio Rocchetti

Nobel Prize Women

Irene Diomi

What they gained

Irene: Being part of a collaboration can be a powerful incentive as you are more accountable as you work with someone else.

I knew it wasn’t going to be easy as it was an intense period at work for me. One key aspect that worked well was communication. At some point, I had to take a break from the project and Saverio was really supportive. We took a break for a month and started right after.

Collaborating meant that I had someone I could ask for feedback as much as I wanted. It felt great to have someone I felt comfortable asking for feedback while knowing it wouldn’t bother them.

You can learn a lot from your collaborator not only techniques but the design process as a whole which means you can learn tips and tricks to improve on your own process.

Saverio: I had a lot of fun working with Irene. Initially, I was a little worried. I had recently joined the community and I didn't think I was a good partner for collaboration. Irene was fantastic in this as she immediately made me feel at ease.

I think Irene has a really fabulous design sense and her creations with Figma + Tableau are really excellent. Having a chance to learn about her design process and several tips on Figma gave my design process a boost and enriched it a lot.

The exchange of ideas, feedback, and visions can only be a plus. Furthermore, the most important thing is that a bond is established and a friendship is established. I keep asking Irene for feedback on issues that sometimes go beyond vizzing.

Interested in trying out a data viz collaboration for yourself?

Nicole Klassen launched #VizCollab, an initiative to make it easier to collaborate within the Tableau Community! Check it out here, #DataFam.