Dear 2021 Iron Viz Finalist ...
Iron Viz is the world’s largest data visualization competition. It ignites and showcases the power of tableau software and the passion of the tableau community by bringing 3 data viz finalists from around the world into a final competition where each must build a visualization from scratch in 20 minutes.
The pressure is intense and the stakes are incredibly high.
The 2020 competition went virtual for the first time ever due to COVID-19 precautions. I had the pleasure of competing against Simon Beaumont and Alex Jones
Not only does the winner earn bragging rights for a year, and a place among an incredible list of past champions, but this year, $10,000 were on the line, as well as a $5,000 donation to a non-profit of the champions choice.
Although the competition looked a little bit different in 2020, many of the fundamental components remained the same. For example,
A viz must be built in 20 minutes or less
Design, Analysis, and Storytelling are the judging criteria
A 3-minute presentation of your viz following your build is required
You will be provided a ‘Sous-Vizzer’ to assist you
Tableau Prep can be used if desired
Images can be used so long as they are not pre-downloaded
It is incredibly challenging, stressful, and exciting
After having gone through the process, I picked up a few things; mainly out of necessity.
This post will attempt to summarize those things, with the hope of challenging future contestants to improve in certain areas while better equipping them to succeed in the finals (if of course, they make it that far).
Data Prep Changes Everything … Learn Tableau Prep
Here are just a few things that having the ability to prep data before-hand changes…in no particular order:
The data you can use
The visuals you can build
The analysis you can perform
The speed/performance of your viz
The efficiency of your build
The data you can use
We were given 3 datasets as options to use in the finale. Dataset 1 was fairly simple, but clean, while datasets 2 and 3 were larger, more complex, and incredibly MESSY.
Using dataset 1, would have allowed me to proceed without data prep, but may have hindered points possible in regards to analysis and storytelling. Thus datasets 2 and 3 seemed the better option to me (and apparently to Simon and Alex as well). But even within datasets 2 and 3, the data was dirty and in need of cleaning.
Enter Tableau Prep.
The automated split functionality in Tableau Prep makes messy data a lot less painful to deal with
The visuals you can build
Go back and look through the types of visuals used in the Iron Viz finals over the last several years. There is a bit of an evolution taking place.
Sure, a good part of that can be attributed to the following:
The pace of innovation of the desktop tool
The ubiquity of blogs, webinars, and workbooks all making advanced charts more accessible
However, those things have also coincided with the access to and availability of data prep tools that increase the efficiency of implementing those techniques and charts.
There are a number of tools out there that can be used for the purpose, but in the Iron Viz finals, the ONLY tool that can be used for that purpose is Tableau Prep. By choosing to use Prep, you are opening up a new world of visualization possibilities.
The analysis you can perform
With the release of 2020.3 Tableau continued to expand it’s statistical modeling capabilities. MODEL_QUANTILE and MODEL_PERCENTILE are powerful features that add to the already powerful possibilities inherent within the Tableau Analytics Pane and with R + Python integration. Whatever the statistical methodology employed, when it comes to communicating your findings, in many cases it makes sense to migrate much of your mathematics and calculations downstream (i.e. Tableau Prep) to optimize performance and the viewing experience.
This is exactly what I did using Prep (shown below):
Shown is the relationship observed in the data between nominal GDP per Capita and PM2.5 air pollution. A Power trendline was fit to the data in tableau which generated the function shown in the caption box. This function was used in Tableau Prep to create predicted values of PM2.5 based on nominal GDP changes. The output was ‘baked into’ the final data source which fed the visualization in Tableau.
Using this approach not only allows you to conduct powerful analysis in the tool, but it also allows your visualization to maintain optimal performance when communicating your findings.
The efficiency of your build
Tableau Prep gives you complete control over what data gets in your data source. This allows you to remove dimensions and measures that will not be used in the final build (improving performance) and also rename fields that you want to keep together in the Data Window for later use.
As an example…
I love the find/search functionality within Tableau Desktop. It helps me easily find the fields I’m looking for…particularly when I’ve used Tableau Prep to rename those fields so that they are close together.
The simple act of renaming fields so that they can easily be found in Desktop to assign default aggregation may not seem like a gamechanger, but when seconds can mean the difference between qualifying and not, any and all efficiencies gained are welcomed.
Closing Thoughts on the Importance of Data Prep…
I believe all 3 of us in the competition this year used Tableau Prep for the competition and were all using it for the first time. The feel and experience are so similar to Tableau Desktop/Public that for experienced Tableau users the learning curve is fairly low. However, the learning curve does still exist, therefore learning it prior to finding yourself in the Iron Viz finals gives you an advantage that others might not have.
Become a Storyteller
There’s no doubt in my mind…telling a fantastic story following your Iron Viz build can compensate for some technical/analysis deficits in your viz. It will not make you an Iron Viz champion if your visualization is rubbish, but it will absolutely give you an added bonus if you can tell a compelling story.
It is also the last thing both the judges and the audience will remember from you. It is your only chance to make a final impression during the contest, thus it is worth putting in some thought behind how you might do it well.
What Makes a Great Story?
In general, two things: Content & Contact
I believe a great story has some of the following content:
A problem to be solved, or a challenge to be overcome
Key issues, obstacles, problems identified and understood
Resolutions Pursued and a hope for the future
At the end of the day, these things should be clear in your viz, but more importantly they should be highlighted and spoken to, compellingly, in your presentation. Because…
A story featuring good content is necessary, but by itself is insufficient.
It must be accompanied by making contact with your audience; by bringing them in with eye contact and vocal inflection and clarity of speech. There’s so much that can be said here, but I think the bottom line is, if you feel yourself insufficient in the area of public speaking, that’s okay!
Like anything else, it is a skill that can be developed with practice, and if you want to raise the Iron Viz trophy, it is a skill that will serve you well if cultivated prior to the competition.
Closing Thoughts on Becoming a Storyteller…
A great place to learn to tell stories and present and speak is at your local tableau user group. Most user groups are always on the look out for speakers. Reach out. Connect, volunteer to speak, and then ask for feedback. It can be really good practice for Iron Viz or other situations throughout your career.
Become an Artist
The Iron Viz rules allow for images to be used in the visual so long as they are downloaded, live, during the 20 minute competition.
Like the use of Tableau Prep, this allows for the possibility of some incredibly valuable work to be done prior to the competition. I believe all three of us this year took advantage of that, and incorporated pictures or even used an image as a dashboard canvas upon which to float our worksheets.
It’s a bit like a cooking show isn’t it? Things are sometimes pre-baked before hand, including in this case the background used for my visualization.
Time is such a factor in the process, that you are really looking for any way to shave off some seconds. Creating an image based background not only allows for you to add some design flair to the experience, but it also allows you to embed a lot of your text within the image itself preventing you from having to copy and paste batches of text from your build notes.
Closing Thoughts on Becoming an Artist…
You don’t have to become an expert graphic designer, but spending some time developing some skills in Illustrator, Figma, Adobe XD, or any other of the number of platforms that allow you to easily build out designs, backgrounds, etc. will in my opinion continue to be an increasingly valuable skill to possess in Iron Viz and beyond.
Become a Student
There are two main things that I think can be helpful here:
Become a student of prior competitions & the competitors
Become a student of your Sous-Vizzer
Because they know their stuff and can help you spot and overcome blind spots
I watched the 2019 competition live in Vegas, and was blown away by the display put on by the 3 contestants (Joshua Smith, Lindsey Poulter & Hesham Eissa). Each of them brought very different skillsets and aptitudes to the competition, each of which were worth emulating. Joshua’s storytelling was incredible. He made an emotional connection with the audience, and humanized the data to the point that it really seemed like just about everyone in the audience was moved. Lindsey’s efficiency and productivity in constructing the vis, accompanied by the clarity of the final product was powerful, and certainly scored her points. And finally, Hesham’s design was so unique and beautiful, it certainly must have scored him design points.
The point is, if you are looking to understand better what the judges are looking for, to a certain extent, over the years they have shown you.
It’s up to you to revisit those prior competitions (I believe most are recorded and on YouTube) and parse out what worked for the contestants and what didn’t and then use that to your advantage.
The other piece of good news, is that you can run all these things by your Sous-Vizzer, after all, that is what they are there for…to encourage, challenge, and be a sounding board for concepts you are considering. Most, if not all of the Sous-Vizzers I believe, are senior solution engineering type, Tableau employees. They themselves have to go through a rigorous process just to be selected.
They want you to work with them, and it can be really helpful to do so. Thank you again Sasha Singh!
Closing Thoughts on Becoming a Student…
All of this assumes that you have already been involved in community projects like Iron Quest, MakeoverMonday, ProjectHealthViz, or the SDG Viz Project. Any of these projects present tremendous opportunities for practicing your craft and garnering feedback from the community.
Outside of that, don’t forget to reach out to past Iron Viz participants, each of whom will undoubtedly be more than happy to provide guidance. Also, your fellow competitors are not so much competitors as they are colleagues traversing the same path as you. Reach out to them and develop comradery, after all, you will be sharing some truly lasting memories with them.
And Lastly…
Don’t take yourself, or any of the spectacle that is Iron Viz too seriously.
At the end of the day, it’s an incredibly fun adventure, and you will be doing yourself a disservice if you can’t manage to enjoy the ride along the way…
