Ten tips for turning data into stories

Data isn’t just about facts and figures. It’s also the building blocks for a new wave of creativity that's being used by brands to do everything from influencing behaviour to changing perceptions. It's an opportunity to discover and share narratives – becoming a fresh new form of storytelling.

We spoke with three people for whom turning data into compelling stories is at the core of their work: Founder of non profit Shift Design Tori Flower, Spotify's Global Executive Creative Director Alex Bodman and Founder of design studio maddthing Maral Pourkazemi.

Here, we’ve summarised their key advice into these takeaways.

1. Data can be presented to get people to compete with others – look at how O Power compares how much energy you are using to others in similar homes, and Strava shows how well you compare to others who are also running and cycling in your area.

2. Large data sets can inspire others to act. Historypin uses big data sets of old photos from archives and museums as stimulus for story-sharing sessions, encouraging conversation and debate. 

3. Think how it can be integrated with maps, like Ushashidi, or Shift's work mapping fast food outlets. How can this tell a story and show change over time?

4. Data visualisation is about showing correlations and relationships. It is not about just presenting figures. 

5. Make your visualisation relevant to your target audience.

6. Treat the numbers with empathy and respect. Most of the time they are about people. 

7. The key is curiosity. Data storytelling starts with a question. Or many questions. 

8. Data will never form a narrative for you, but it can fuel it.

9. Look for the unexpected, surprising or difficult to believe – data storytelling is dull when it confirms what you'd expect. 

10. Prepare for the answers to disappoint. Then ask more questions. 

Take a look at more tips and inspiration to help you kick start your creative career. ​