If the internet is a street, and websites are storefronts, then homepages are the window displays. Effective displays give you the gist of the organization and lure you in. When I stroll down nonprofit lane, I rarely see displays featuring data visualizations (aka data viz) like charts, maps, and graphs. That makes sense, right? Data viz lacks the visceral appeal of photos. Images of a child receiving medical care, a homeless adult eating a meal, or a home being rebuilt after a hurricane are more compelling than a chart.
I get that. But there’s a missed opportunity here. Prominently-displayed, well-designed data viz provides something that photos cannot. Context. Charts, maps, and graphs can quickly show website visitors the critical context that they cannot see in a photo, such as how prevalent a problem is, where it is occurring, or the impact of a program over time.
Recently, I did a little review of the 12 sites that won a Web Award in 2019 for best in industry or outstanding website in the nonprofit category. I expected that these sites would be better than most when it came to featuring data viz. I gave myself three minutes to review each site. And I awarded 2 points for data viz on their homepage, 2 points for data viz on their work/impact page,* and 1 point for data viz on any other page that I could visit in the balance of my three-minute tour. My definition of data viz was not strict. I counted any display of data not described in text or presented in a table. BANs (Big Ass Numbers), timelines, and flowcharts counted. (See the results in the chart below.)
The data viz situation in these sites was even worse than I expected. I found:
Only two of the twelve sites had data viz on their homepages.
Five of the sites had no data viz that could be found in three minutes.
The vizes I found were: 3 BANs, 2 maps, 1 timeline, and 1 flowchart, none of which provided a wealth of insight.
To make your website stand out, even among award-winning sites, consider prominently displaying a variety of data visualizations (not just BANs). Visualizations can provide the necessary context to bring both problems and solutions into greater focus.
One last thing before we go. I give the best-content-not-related-to-data-viz award to the website called “Get In Touch With Your Testes With Nad & Tad.” See Grab Your Balls And Check Out These Videos on the homepage. It’s a must-see.
To see past data tips, including those about other chart types, click HERE.
*Work/impact page: any page on menu bar describing their work and/or impact
Let’s talk about YOUR data!
Got the feeling that you and your colleagues would use your data more effectively if you could see it better? Data Viz for Nonprofits (DVN) can help you get the ball rolling with an interactive data dashboard and beautiful charts, maps, and graphs for your next presentation, report, proposal, or webpage. Through a short-term consultation, we can help you to clarify the questions you want to answer and goals you want to track. DVN then visualizes your data to address those questions and track those goals.
