Tableau Public is the free version of the Tableau Desktop Professional Edition data visualization software. The output from Tableau Public can be easily embedded in a website or blog. While not incredibly easy to learn, there are a lot of easily accessible tutorials on the Tableau Public website. The website also has examples of data visualizations which other users have created.
From pie charts to geographical maps, this software is very open ended. It is easy to create a variety of types of data visualizations. As such, it can be used to make a graphic representation of lost any data you collect. For this data visualization tutorial , I’ll be using a sample data set of the colors present in the 195 country flags of the world.
Step 1: Import the desired dataset. Tableau Public can take data from a lot of sources. The easiest of these for my data set was Excel, because thats where the data already was. Step 2: Select your desired variables. For me, these were “Color” and “Number of appearances.” I also suggest initially selecting the top-left graphical option, which will show your data in a table.Step 3: Select desired data. For my data set, brown, orange, and purple were used far fewer times than the other colors. As such, I chose to exclude them from my data set.Step 4: Select desired visualization. From the drop down list “Show Me,” you can select one of a variety of ways to represent your data. For me, this came down to a decision between a pie chart and the packed bubbles, which I selected.Step 5: Create a “New Story.” This will create a document similar to something seen in a powerpoint presentation, where you can build information around your graphic.Step 6: Add explanatory text. With the “Drag to add text” button, you can add explanations to your graphic. Things like what the data represents and what it means.Step 7: Save your finished product!Step 8: Export your finished product.
Obviously, this is a very basic data visualization, but that isn’t because Tableaux Public isn’t capable of complex visuals. Below are a few examples of visualizations which other Tableaux Public users have created. A visualization on Enneagrams in pop culture. A visualization on the lifespan of animals. A visualization on the deaths in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
