
Data Viz Today
Helping you become a more effective information designer.
You want to create effective data visualizations. That’s hard work. There are so many decisions to make, like chart type, annotations, and color!
Will this podcast help?
Host and fellow data viz designer Alli Torban is in the trenches with you. She shares the latest tools and methods that she’s discovered while on the job and interviewing top designers.
If you’re an analyst, journalist, or designer who wants to hone your skills with specific tactics, then this show could be just what you need.
Latest episodes

Aug 18, 2019 • 5min
BONUS: The New Topic Sentence Formula That I'm Using for More Clarity
***BONUS EPISODE! WOOHOO!*** I've been using a new topic sentence formula to help me gain clarity around my data visualizations, and I wanted to share it with you! I hope it's helpful. Let me know if you use something like this too. :)

Jul 30, 2019 • 19min
45: How to Use Data Viz to Bring People Together and Feel Connected - Featuring Amy Cesal and Zander Furnas
Visualization isn't always about revealing the patterns in our data. Sometimes it can be used to bring people together. This featured viz is a project by Amy Cesal and her now-husband Zander Furnas that they created for their wedding to connect their guests to them and each other. In this episode, we'll hear how this project was created, what they’d do differently in retrospect, and what specific questions you need to ask yourself before you start designing data viz to connect people. Show Notes Amy and Zander's Medium article all about the project Follow Amy Cesal and Zander Furnas on Twitter Follow VizTip Correspondent Katherine Mello on Twitter Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter

Jul 2, 2019 • 21min
44: 3 Steps to Find & Strengthen Your Biggest Data Literacy Weakness - Featuring Ben Jones of Data Literacy LLC
Data Literacy is on everyone’s mind right now, but it always seemed like a nebulous topic to me. What is it exactly? How can you tell how literate you are? More importantly, how do you improve?! In this episode, we’ll learn why you need to assess yourself, no matter how literate you are, and how to identify the next step you need to take to improve on your weak spots today. Show Notes 17 Key Traits of Data Literacy PDF Data Literacy Assessment Dashboard Follow Ben Jones on Twitter Follow VizTip Correspondent Katherine Mello on Twitter Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter

Apr 30, 2019 • 11min
43: How to Visualize Paths Through Time with a Narrative Chart - Featuring Sahil Chinoy and Jessia Ma
Every day, events are happening and people are moving through time making decisions. How do we visualize that? How do we visualize that for hundreds of people in a way that still makes sense? Even more challenging, how do we humanize that visualization? In this episode, we’ll learn how Sahil Chinoy and Jessia Ma from the New York Times solved this problem by combing hundreds of paths into a narrative chart. Show Notes Follow Sahil and Jessia on Twitter Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter

Mar 12, 2019 • 25min
42: How to Use Audio to Enhance Your Data Storytelling - Featuring Duncan Clark
Can we combine explanatory and exploratory data viz? That's just what Duncan Clark and his team over at Flourish are trying to accomplish by giving everyone the ability to create a "Talkie." In this episode, find out what it is and how to create an effective one. Bonus: Duncan shares the one thing that would impress him in a data viz portfolio! Show Notes Follow Duncan and Flourish on Twitter Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter

Mar 5, 2019 • 9min
41: [Mini] How to Go on a Color Diet
Are you terrified of color? Me too! :) Sometimes there are just too many choices. So I’m going on a color diet! What's a color diet? Well, for me, it means to be more conscious about how I use color in my visualizations to make sure that I’m using color to solve a problem. In this episode, we’ll talk about how a color diet can improve your work, plus a few tips on how to get the most out of the few colors that you do use. Show Notes Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter Sign up for my weekly newsletter!

Feb 26, 2019 • 8min
40: How to Add Small Multiples to Your Flow Charts - Featuring Chris DeMartini
How can you add more information to your flow charts? Incorporate small multiples! In this episode, we learn about Chris DeMartini's data visualization that brings together small multiples and a flow chart (an NBA bracket) to add context to the flow. Find out how he created it, and how this technique can be applied elsewhere! Show Notes Chris DeMartini's blog posts Follow Chris on Twitter Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter

Feb 12, 2019 • 7min
39: [Mini] 3 Design Tweaks that Make a Big Difference
I’ve been on a mission to improve my design abilities, and there are three design tweaks that I’ve found to be really effective in making my visualizations look more professional. In this episode, I share these three tips that pack a punch! Show notes Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter Join my weekly newsletter Resources page Courses

Feb 5, 2019 • 14min
38: How to Use Writing to Improve Your Vizzing - Featuring Tiziana Alocci & Piero Zagami
Can you write your way to data viz success? It might be hard to see how writing could improve your visualizations but in this episode, I'll lay out 3 compelling reasons WHY you need to start writing today. Plus, I'll share easy 3 steps to get you started. This episode is inspired by the creative passion project Market Cafe Magazine that's created and independently published by Tiziana Alocci and Piero Zagami. Listen to what it takes to self-publish a data viz magazine! Show Notes Market Cafe Magazine Website Sign up for my weekly newsletter! :) Follow Market Cafe Mag on Twitter Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter

Dec 19, 2018 • 1h 44min
BONUS: Setting Your 2019 Data Viz Goals + Data Stories 2018 Year in Review Rebroadcast
What a year… I was honored to join Enrico Bertini and Moritz Stefaner on their Data Stories podcast along with Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic and Jon Schwabish to discuss our highlights from the year and what we hope to see in 2019. This is a re-broadcast of that amazing episode. I also added an intro with some thoughts on my 2019 data viz goals and ideas on how you can tackle your own. I’d love to know what yours are! Here’s to another year filled with data viz projects, collaborations & learning… Feel free to download the PDF that I used for my 2019 Data Viz Goalsetting in the show notes below. Show Notes Follow Data Viz Today on Twitter!
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