Getting Over The Hurdle
Sometimes gathering the data feels like an uphill battle, read this blog to find out how you can keep it from preventing your progress.
I’m sure we all know what it’s like to have our motivation not be on the same level as our ideas. I’ve had a few viz ideas rattling around my noggin for quite some time that I never seemed to be getting around to. And I couldn’t put my finger on what it was at first. Though I’m fairly busy, it wasn’t due to lack of time - I was finding time for other vizzes. What separated the two? Then it hit me, it was the data curation. All my ideas had been growing organically in my head over time and I would still need to find and collect all the data to support them. While I think this part of the viz process is a great learning experience, it can be very intimidating.
So what was I going to do about it?
I decided to start anyway. Data for a data visualization? Don’t need it (jk, stick with me). I made a google sheet with all the fields I knew I was going to need and used a random function to populate most of it with values close to what I’d expect.
Then I got into the building.
I was building off entirely fake data. And this isn’t a novel idea because this is how I’d approach the problem at work if I needed to start a viz and the data wasn’t ready.
Why This Worked
I Got to Get My Ideas Out
The main idea in my head was around the layout and functionality and opportunities to explore the data. I got to build all the charts and actions and calcs I needed right away and materialize my idea and it was so satisfying.
I Found Out What I Did and Didn’t Need
Throughout this process I realized there were variables I wanted to include that I hadn’t thought about at the onset. And vice versa. I realized there were metrics I thought were going to be valuable that I didn’t need or could be accomplished with something else.
It Motivated Me to Get The Data Together
Once I built out the structure I wanted so badly to be able to share the viz that it was the motivation I needed to start gathering the data. Not only did I move through this portion faster because I felt like I was working towards something specific, but I knew exactly what I needed.
Vizzes get held up for a host of reasons but this seemed like a pretty common hurdle that was keeping me from getting my ideas out. If you’re in a similar boat where you have ideas that aren’t coming to life because you can’t bring yourself to gather the data, I recommend starting to build anyways!
So that’s the stuff about the things. Can’t wait to see what you make.
If you want more ideas on how to organize what you’re working on, read my blog on how I keep track of everything I want to work on.
