Data storytelling

March 2023

Thanks for participating in this survey of data practitioners and challenges around analytics and storytelling! I plan to make results public once we get to n>200.

If you have questions or feedback, please hit me up on twitter



Time use

Let's start with some questions about how you spend your time at work.


In a typical work week, what percent of your time do you spend on...?

  • work that’s primarily technical (Ex: writing code, running queries, discussing results, architecture, etc.), versus
  • other work (Ex: communication and collaboration, administrative work, planning)



Gathering data
Cleaning data
Visualizing data
Model building/model selection
Putting models into production
Finding insights and communicating them to stakeholders
Other


Storytelling with data

Now let's talk about how storytelling with data fits into your role.

For the following questions, please select the answer category that best applies to you:

Question Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Effective storytelling with data is an important part of my job.
When analyzing data, you should let the data speak for itself, without any starting assumptions.
My analysis is often guided by pre-existing narratives or expectations.
In my role, I spend more energy wrangling other people than the data itself.
I often use data visualization techniques to emphasize specific aspects of the data that support the desired story.


In a typical month, which tools do you use for data storytelling? Please check all that apply.



Who are your primary audiences for data storytelling? Please check all that apply.



Organizational dynamics

Now let’s focus on some common organizational dynamics around storytelling with data.

For the following questions, please select the answer category that best applies to you:

Question Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Important conclusions from my data analysis are sometimes ignored.
I have felt pressure to exclude or downplay data that contradicted the preferred narrative.
In my organization, data analytics often spark important conversations that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
My organization consistently listens to data, even if the conclusions are unexpected, inconvenient, or threatening.
My organization sometimes uses data as window-dressing to support decisions that were made in advance.


Desired change

A few more questions, on changes that you'd like to see. All of these questions are optional.



Demographics

Last, let's wrap up with some demographic questions.

What is your job title?

Which of the following best describes how you spend most of your time?

How many years of professional experience do you have as a data practitioner?

How does your team primarily measure success?

Approximately how many people work at your organization?



Thanks again for participating!