Advanced Visualization Courses for Data Scientists to Tell Data Stories

Data storytelling is the method of turning information into a story. It combines visualization tools like graphs, charts, and animated maps with narrative elements. The aim is to take complex data and present it in a simple and clear way, making it easier for people to understand the insights. Considering the importance of conveying data in the most comprehensible manner, data scientists must master data storytelling skills. To help them learn data storytelling, we have listed 5 handpicked advanced visualisation courses that can help data scientists present their findings better.

What is Data Storytelling?

Data storytelling is conveying information from data analysis through a story. It involves three key components: data, visualization, and narrative. Together, these elements enable effective communication:

• By combining narrative and data, we provide explanations: context helps the audience understand what is happening (or will happen) and why it matters.
• When data is paired with visuals, we get "Clarity": knowledge is presented clearly and effectively, highlighting relationships and patterns.
• By merging narrative and visuals, we engage the audience by capturing their attention using techniques from the entertainment sector.

When all these elements are combined, you create a data-driven story that can influence and drive change.

Why Data Scientists Must Master Data Storytelling 

Storytelling through data is an art and has varying aspects, including -

• Effective Communication: Telling stories with data bridges the gap between complex data and easy-to-understand insights. Presenting data in a narrative format makes it more accessible and understandable to a broader audience. Decision makers, stakeholders, and even non-technical individuals can understand the importance of insights and grasp the implications for the business.
• Compelling and Memorable: Capturing and holding people's attention in this fast-paced digital world is not easy. Data storytelling, combining facts and figures with compelling narrative elements, can elevate the impact of the message, making it more memorable and likely to elicit an action from the audience by touching their hearts.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Data storytelling converts raw data into actionable insights to inform decision-making. Organizations can confidently make data-driven decisions through clear and persuasive data communication. Data stories help stakeholders understand the "why" behind the numbers, thus making better decisions.

For example, a marketing team can use data storytelling to describe recent campaign results. They may merge reach, engagement, conversion, and revenue data to tell a compelling story. Such a story emphasizes the successes of a campaign and indicates areas where improvements are needed. Data stories help in budget approval, justification of further investments, and alignment of teams towards common goals.

Top Advanced Visualization Courses for Data Scientists 

1. Creating Dashboards and Storytelling with Tableau by Coursera
2. Online Data Visualization For Storytelling by the Institute of Product Leadership
3. Data Visualization with Power BI by Great Learning
4. Advanced Data Visualization with Tableau by Coursera
5. Data Visualization with Advanced Excel by PwC

1. Creating Dashboards and Storytelling with Tableau by Coursera

Creating Dashboards and Storytelling with Tableau will help you create dashboards to help identify the story within your data and how to use story points to create a powerful story. The course will also help you learn to balance your stakeholders' goals and the needs of the end-users, as well as structure and organise your story to have maximum impact. You will apply more advanced functions within Tableau to guide user interactions, including hierarchies, actions, and parameters. For your final project, you will create a narrative to be delivered in a meeting, as a static report, or in an interactive display online.

Course Name	Creating Dashboards and Storytelling with Tableau by the University of California, Davis
Duration	14 hours
Provider	Coursera
Course Fee	Subscription Based - ₹4,105/month (Audit for free)
Trainer	Govind Acharya, University of California, Davis
Skills Gained	Storyboarding, Data Virtualization, Data Visualization
Students Enrolled	680,900+
Total Reviews	4.6/5 (1000+ ratings)

2. Online Data Visualization For Storytelling by the Institute of Product Leadership

This course emphasizes data visualization to present business insights and make data-driven stories easier to understand. You will learn the basics of data visualization, including designing effective visuals and choosing the right charts to communicate your message. The course also covers data storytelling, both in terms of exploratory and narrative approaches, helping you present data engaging and meaningfully to your audience. You will explore current trends, such as how AI and Natural Language Processing shape the future of data visualization. By the end of this course, you will know how to use visuals to tell a compelling story with data. The curriculum also addresses best practices for chart selection, types of data, and resources to help you further develop your skills.

 

Course Name	Online Data Visualization For Storytelling
Duration	4 Weeks
Provider	Institute of Product Leadership
Course Fee	$99
Skills Gained	Data Visualization Principles, Exploratory Storytelling, Narrative Storytelling

3. Data Visualization with Power BI by Great Learning

This free Power BI course by Great Learning is designed to help you understand the basics of Business Intelligence (BI) and its application in creating effective data visualization. It covers the fundamentals and the importance of data visualization, as well as an introduction to the key tools. The course will take you through the core features of Power BI, teaching you about its structure, the different components, and how to use Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) for manipulating data. Practical exercises will teach you how to install and navigate Power BI and provide hands-on experience in creating helpful data visuals. Whether you're new to data visualization or want to improve your skills, this course provides the knowledge and experience to work with Power BI effectively. Upon completion, you'll earn a certificate to demonstrate your new skills.

Course Name	Data Visualization With Power BI
Duration	3 hours
Provider	Great Learning
Course Fee	Free
Trainer	Mr. Vishal Padghan - Teaching Experience in Data Science, Digital Marketing and Cloud Computing
Skills Gained	Data Visualization, Power BI, Components of Power BI, Visual Analytics
Students Enrolled	2.4 Lakh +
Total Reviews	4.5/5

4. Advanced Data Visualization with Tableau by Coursera

Advanced Data Visualization with Tableau course will help you gain skills to build more complex visualizations by leveraging capabilities such as dual-axis and bar-in-bar charts and spatial data visualizations, including maps and polygons. The course emphasizes effective communication of insights through customized, complex information visualizations to meet relevant stakeholder needs. While previous experience in Tableau Public is preferred, the course content targets beginners who would also like to position themselves for entry-level positions in business intelligence and data reporting.

Course Name	Advanced Data Visualization with Tableau in collaboration with Salesforce
Duration	21 hours
Provider	Coursera
Course Fee	Subscription Based - ₹4,105/month (Audit for free)
Trainer	Tableau Learning Partner Instructor, Tableau Learning Partner
Skills Gained	Interactive Data Visualization, Spatial Analytics, Advanced Data Visualizations
Students Enrolled	5,700+
Total Reviews	4.9/5 (40+ ratings)

5. Data Visualization with Advanced Excel by PwC

This course is part of the Data Analysis and Presentation Skills: the PwC Approach specialization and aims to teach advanced Excel techniques. The course is divided into four modules, where you'll learn to use advanced functions of Excel 2013, including PowerPivot, for building databases and data models. You'll also practice performing scenario and simulation analysis using tools like Solver, Data Tables, Scenario Manager, and Goal Seek. The course further explores data visualization, storytelling with data, and creating dashboards. It uses Excel to create complex graphs and Power View reports to combine them into interactive dashboards. 

Course Name	Data Visualization with Advanced Excel
Duration	15 hours
Provider	PwC
Course Fee	Subscription Based - ₹4,112/month (Audit for free)
Trainer	Tableau Learning Partner Instructor, Tableau Learning Partner
Skills Gained	Interactive Data Visualization, Spatial Analytics, Advanced Data Visualizations
Students Enrolled	5,700+
Total Reviews	4.9/5 (40+ ratings)

Conclusion

Mastering data storytelling and advanced visualization techniques is essential for data scientists looking to effectively communicate insights and influence decision-making. Our handpicked advanced visualization courses above will help data scientists gain practical skills in tools like Tableau, Power BI, and Excel, enabling them to turn complex data into clear, impactful narratives. Leverage the power of data storytelling through these visualization courses and become a more effective data-driven storyteller while becoming a more valuable resource for your organization.