2. Know your audience.

Another essential step before starting to create data visualizations is considering who your audience will be. A solid understanding of your audience and their needs should guide the development of your data visualizations.

• Is your audience technical or non-technical?
• What does your audience want to learn?
• What questions do they want answered?
• What format of data visualization would work best for your audience (e.g. interactive dashboard, data story, written report, slideshows, etc.)?