The Art of Visualizing Survey Data in Tableau


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Presenter(s):
Polly Prewitt-Freilino, Mount Holyoke College
 
Requirements:
Laptop required
Software required:  Tableau 2018.1 (free version is fine); Excel (version 2010 or later)
Software download link: https://www.tableau.com/support/releases

Prerequisites:
To participate in this workshop, an attendee will need to:

1. Have Tableau 2018.1 on their laptop, but they are not expected to have ever even opened it.
2. Have Excel 2010 or later on their laptop in order to access provided sample data files.
3. Understand basic math functions in Excel including: COUNT DISTINCT, COUNT, AVERAGE, and SUM.
4. Understand the difference between variables that are string (text) or integer (whole number) to determine appropriate analysis options.

*Please note: in order for the workshop to begin on time and cover all material as described, participants are expected to arrive at the workshop with all software and supplemental materials pre-loaded on to their laptops.
 
Description:
Tableau is a leading tool for visualizing data that allows for greater efficiency and flexibility in reporting of survey data. In this workshop participants will have the opportunity to become more familiar with shaping and building their own interactive data visualizations in Tableau. This workshop focuses specifically on the challenge of visualizing survey data with multiple scale and item types in Tableau. Participants will be provided with a reference workbook and sample visualizations to allow them to construct their own visualizations, including combination stacked bar and circle chart and positive-negative sentiment Gantt charts using sample data from a multi-institutional student survey. Participants will also learn how parameters, filters, and dashboard actions enhance the functionality of interactive dashboards.
 
Intended Learning Outcomes: 
Participants in this workshop will:

1. Understand the relationship between survey design and data visualization.
2. Reshape the structure of native survey data to allow for meaningful data visualization including pivoting values and truncating survey items.
3. Create interactive visualizations for different types of survey questions using Tableau.
4. Enhance the functionality of interactive dashboards with features such as filters, calculated fields, basic parameters, and dashboard actions.