Unit 3: Data visualization
Computer Applications and Data Visualization for Managers notes · PTU syllabus (MBA 208-26)
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Unit summary
A good chart reveals in seconds what a table hides. This unit covers the importance of data visualisation in managerial decisions, Gestalt principles, cognitive aspects, visual hierarchy and colour theory, and Tableau and Power BI — data import and preparation, charts, filters, geographical maps, calculated fields, KPI visualisation and dynamic dashboards.
After this unit you can
- Explain the importance of data visualisation for managers
- Apply Gestalt principles, visual hierarchy and colour theory
- Prepare data and build charts, maps and calculated fields in Tableau and Power BI
- Design KPI visuals and dynamic dashboards
PTU syllabus topics
- Importance of data visualization in managerial decision making
- Gestalt principles
- cognitive aspects
- visual hierarchy and colour theory
- Tableau and Power BI data import/preparation/charts/filters
- geographical maps
- calculated fields
- KPI visualization and dynamic dashboards
Proximity
Close items look grouped
Similarity
Same colour or shape looks related
Enclosure
Boxes group items
Continuity
Eyes follow lines
Closure
We complete incomplete shapes
Topic 1
Importance of data visualisation
- Humans process visuals faster than text — patterns, trends and outliers become obvious.
- Managerial uses: monitor KPIs, compare performance, spot problems early, communicate findings to non-technical audiences, support faster decisions.
Example
Anscombe's quartet — four data sets with the same mean, variance and correlation that look completely different when plotted — shows why charts matter.
Topic 2
Gestalt principles and cognitive aspects
Proximity
Items close together seem related
Similarity
Same colour or shape seem grouped
Enclosure
Items inside a border form a group
Closure
The mind completes incomplete shapes
Continuity
Eyes follow lines and curves
Connection
Linked items seem related
- Pre-attentive attributes: colour, size, position, length, orientation — noticed in under a second; use them to highlight what matters.
- Cognitive load: remove chart junk (heavy gridlines, 3D effects, unnecessary labels) so attention goes to the data (Tufte's data-ink ratio).
- Accuracy of perception: position and length (bar charts) are judged more accurately than angle or area (pie charts).
Topic 3
Visual hierarchy and colour theory
- Visual hierarchy: most important information largest and at top left (Z or F reading pattern), supporting details smaller.
| Palette | Use |
|---|---|
| Sequential | Light to dark of one hue for ordered values (sales intensity) |
| Diverging | Two hues from a midpoint (profit vs loss, above vs below target) |
| Categorical (qualitative) | Distinct hues for unrelated categories (regions) |
- Tips: limit to a few colours, grey for context and one bright colour for emphasis, colour-blind-safe palettes (avoid red–green pairs), consistent meaning across charts.
Topic 4
Tableau
- Data import: connect to Excel, CSV, databases, cloud sources; join, union or relate tables; data interpreter cleans messy Excel sheets.
- Building views: drag dimensions (categories) and measures (numbers) to Rows and Columns; Show Me suggests chart types; Marks card controls colour, size, label, detail.
- Filters: dimension, measure, date and context filters; quick filters shown to users.
- Maps: geographic roles (state, city, postal code) create filled or symbol maps automatically.
- Calculated fields: e.g., Profit Ratio = SUM([Profit]) / SUM([Sales]); table calculations for running totals and percent of total.
- Dashboards and stories: combine sheets, add actions (filter, highlight) for interactivity; publish to Tableau Public or Server.
Topic 5
Power BI
- 1
Get Data
Excel, SQL, SharePoint, web
- 2
Transform in Power Query
Clean, merge, pivot or unpivot
- 3
Model
Relationships between tables, star schema
- 4
DAX measures
Calculated columns and measures
- 5
Visualise
Charts, maps, cards, slicers
- 6
Publish and share
Power BI Service, scheduled refresh
- DAX examples: Total Sales = SUM(Sales[Amount]); Profit Margin = DIVIDE([Total Profit],[Total Sales]); Sales LY = CALCULATE([Total Sales], SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR('Date'[Date])).
- Maps: map, filled map and Azure maps visuals using location fields.
Strength
Rich, flexible visual exploration
Microsoft integration, low cost
Data preparation
Tableau Prep
Power Query
Calculations
Calculated fields, LOD expressions
DAX
Sharing
Tableau Server, Cloud, Public
Power BI Service, Teams
Topic 6
KPI visualisation and dynamic dashboards
- KPI visuals: cards (single number), gauges and bullet charts (actual vs target), KPI visuals with trend and status colour, sparklines.
- Dynamic features: slicers and filters, drill-down hierarchies (year → quarter → month), cross-filtering, tooltips, bookmarks, parameters for what-if.
- Dashboard design checklist: clear purpose and audience, 5–9 key visuals, consistent layout, current data with refresh date, mobile view.
Key terms
- Gestalt principles
- Rules of how people perceive visual groups
- Pre-attentive attributes
- Visual features noticed almost instantly
- Diverging palette
- Colours spreading from a midpoint in two directions
- Calculated field
- New field created by a formula from existing data
- DAX
- Formula language used in Power BI
Quick revision
- Visualisation speeds understanding; Anscombe's quartet.
- Gestalt: proximity, similarity, enclosure, closure, continuity, connection.
- Pre-attentive attributes; data-ink ratio; bars beat pies.
- Sequential, diverging, categorical palettes; colour-blind safety.
- Tableau (dimensions, measures, calculated fields, maps); Power BI (Power Query, DAX); KPI dashboards.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.Why is data visualisation important for managers?
- Q2.State any three Gestalt principles.
- Q3.What is a diverging colour palette?
- Q4.Distinguish dimensions and measures in Tableau.
- Q5.What is Power Query used for?
- Q6.Name two KPI visuals.
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Explain the importance of data visualisation in managerial decision making.
- Q2.Discuss Gestalt principles, visual hierarchy and colour theory in chart design.
- Q3.Explain how dashboards are built in Tableau or Power BI.
- Q4.Compare Tableau and Power BI as business intelligence tools.
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