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2022 has been another year of lessons exploring viz techniques and processes, as I have to manage to join 3 data viz competitions. Below I shall share the lessons learnt and experiences gained from being part of them.
My second Iron Viz. I have gained some sense of achievement after completing this viz as I have figured out my own way of how to create colour gradient charts on Tableau. The use of Excel VBA to prepare the data for this viz has given me more confidence to use macros. The searches for the code and testing the logic behind the Excel formulas have been a fulfilling process. Also, the research has allowed me to read up more on the arts in my country with the theme being "Visualizing the Arts".
The hard part comes in after the announcement of the top 10 Iron Viz entries. The amount of time and effort that have gone into creating the viz is more than I am ready to give, as I have wanted to create the best I have. My hype for Iron Viz and my passion for data visualising just fizzled out after the announcement. Understandably, being top 10 in the world for something is a feat. However, my data viz journey just came to a sudden halt and then nothing. Nothing at all. No feedback is heard besides the Likes and comments on Twitter where I have shared my entry. My data viz life has become void, and I have lost my desire to visualise data outside my work. I have started to use Twitter for #dataviz less and less. Now, I am not blaming anyone but just myself, and my expectations. Rewards never correspond to efforts and time in many things in life. Nonetheless, it is a lesson in life and a debate on Twitter.
2. Data Arcade Tournament 2022
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My second DAT. I have joined both formats this year. One within my agency and the other within the whole government. Time has been spread rather thin for this as I have to create 2 entries within the given time. I have tried what I can. Although there are times when I have questioned if I need to be in both, the result for 1 of my entries has made me feel better. Being placed 4th out of the 17th submissions has given me much-needed encouragement in my 3 years of visualising data and a little motivation to continue the journey.
Lessons learnt are abundant as one of the viz has started as a data science project on real HR data (not shared on Tableau Public), and the other is in which I have established a way to do a beeswarm chart using Excel, used Python to multiply rows and columns of data using joins, and applied filters to create interactive calculations on the Tableau dashboard (pictured above).
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Time is short on this entry as I have gradually reduced my time spent on visualising data as a leisure activity, in addition to the short timeline provided and the sudden announcement of the qualifier. Lessons learnt are taken into action as I have reduced my time but not efforts spent on the viz. No exceptionally complex chart in this entry. Next, I have learnt how to download data via API on Excel. Third, I have tried to use whitespace more than before because I find my vizzes often lack space to breathe. Fourth, I have understood to give scrolling Twitter a break and managed to get myself back on Tableau Public again. Finally, I may not have won anything and the feedback on it that I have received via email from the Iron Viz team leaves more to be desired seeing better-ranked vizzes with the same characteristics as what is given as criticism, but I do feel better afterwards.
All in all, winning is not everything, but something semblance of an echo when we shout into the abyss is encouraging.