How can you be rated as a Featured Author in data analytics?

If you work with Tableau or Power BI you probably have seen the lists of the top-rated authors. If you’ve been in the industry for a while, a mention would be helpful for brand promotion. But how do you do it?

Well, I have started my graphic design & business analytics career journeys in 2019 when I first tried working with Tableau and was inspired by its capabilities. Since then I worked hard and prepared 30 visualizations. The members of the community singled me out as a Featured author among top ten other women a couple of weeks ago.

And now what was going on under the hood.

1. Study the data visualization tools

I took a two-year online course ‘Business Analyst’ at Simplilearn school. The package also included preparation for the IIBA exam.

Basically, it gave me the opportunity not only to remember how Excel works but also to learn the key tools of the programs. Now I easily understand how to use Power BI or similar programs.

2. Participate in the Community Projects

For some people, it can be difficult with the current workload. I personally worked on visualizations at night in my spare time. Nevertheless, it’s worth it. This way you can sort out and apply different kinds of dates. For example, last month the Maven Analyst Contest presented the Remote Working Survey. Survey responses from 1,500 remote workers included not only numerical data but also textual data and had to come up with numerical identifiers that allow you to count the responses.

In general, of the projects I know, you can participate in Makeovermonday, Workoutwednesday, Mavenanalytics, Ironquest, SportsVizSunday, VizforSocialGood, duBoisChallenge, and DataPlusMusic.

Don’t forget to mention relevant hashtags such as #datafam, and others.

3. Identify your target audience and the interests

Since any visualization has its recipient, determine your target audience. Who are your readers? Is it either decision makers in B2B area for example or sport fans?

What is also important is identify you own interests. For example, I am a big fan of financial analytics, which shows market trends in the development of companies and the choice of investment-attractive areas. The other favourite topics are also related to business:cryptocurrency, e-commerce, renewable energy, IT, and the legal market with the territorial focus on Germany, Switzerland, India, and China.

4. Take an interest in the community members

If I didn’t talk to other members of the community I would never have found out so many interesting things. Share your thoughts, ask for help and be ready to help.

5. Improve your knowledge every day

Although I have attended many courses, the one that has most impressed me is some authors in Instagram as well as two courses ‘Data Visualisation and Information Design: Design a Visual Model’ by Federica Fragapane and ‘Complete web design: from Figma to Webflow to freelancing’ by Vako Shvili. The first one opened my eyes to the mistake I made with the color opacity. The second one showed me the interesting layout options.

I have a huge list of things I would like to learn, ranging from mathematical formulas to advanced knowledge of Microsoft Word, which can be used successfully not only in the way we are used to, but also for design purposes.

I hope you have enjoyed the reading and see you soon!

Regards, Kseniia