Developing Visualizations

Key building blocks of good decision making include the ability to visualize, analyze, and verbally communicate ideas effectively. Large volumes of data can be particularly complex to understand and present. However, if data is visually presented through a combination of meaningful charts, text, and a verbal narrative, the intended audience can better engage in the discussion of the facts, patterns, and findings that must be acknowledged before moving to the decision-making stage.

In this discussion, you will take on the role of a new restaurant owner who is checking on sales since the opening of your establishment in January. You have just downloaded the following sales data from your financial software: Module Four Discussion Sales Data Spreadsheet (attached)t. It includes sales by food item for each month you have been in business. You would like to create visualizations that illustrate which items are selling well and how the business is doing month by month.

In your response, make sure to include the visualizations you created and address the following:

• What have you been able to identify      through the visual representation of the data?
• What kind of graphic have you selected      and why?
• How would this visualization need to be      changed based on your audience?