Secrets of the Viz

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, Ana Lucia Gonzalez and Prina Shah from The Guardian joins us to share about building a bird migration data visualization. They discuss how a broad pitch became bird “diaries,” the challenge of sourcing and verifying uneven migration datasets across regions, and layering routes with temperature and vegetation data. Prina explains iterative design decisions, es...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, Idris shares a deeply personal dashboard about stuttering and how he learned to manage it over time. Idris recounts struggling to speak in primary school, then a turning point in secondary school when classmates pushed him to represent them in a weekly debate, where intense practice helped him win and build confidence. He emphasizes the importance of patient...

Charlene Chua, a data and graphics journalist at The Straits Times, talks about her team’s “Modern Dating” visual story and why dating can feel harder despite apps and technology. They discuss Singapore-specific pressures like the BTO housing scheme and family expectations, and how the team anonymous interviews, expert perspectives, and illustrations to humanize the data. Charlene shares how they...

Martina and Stefan joins us this week to talk about about a commissioned project for the Luxembourg's Museum of Art & History that helps teams explore museum collections through an internal visualization platform. They discuss how museum data is shaped by decades of manual record-keeping, inconsistencies, and missing fields, and why highlighting gaps can drive better digitization and decis...

Take a moment and think back to the first time you remember food in-game. This week, Matt Huff drops in as a host to dig into my #IronViz entry that explores how food in video games is shown historically from 1970 to 2025 and how it has evolved over the years. https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/louisyu/viz/PlayingwithFoodIronViz/Evolution -------------------------------------------------------...

Ever struggled with finding your favorite topics from the #datafam? Thanks to Chris McClellan, these are all in the Team Datafam channel (https://www.youtube.com/@TeamDataFam). and to take it a step further, Jacob created a dashboard to explore and search with better precision. Learn about all his techniques and cool tricks to make an awesome user experience. https://public.tableau.com/app/profile...

Award-winning designer Nadieh Bremer drops in this week to chat about her Google Trends project “Searching for Birds.” Nadieh walks through her research process when she’s not a “bird person,” including exploring many public datasets and narrowing the story with writer Emily. She explains how sketching led from feathers to an egg-and-nest metaphor for ranking bird-type searches, why egg colors wer...

Ojoswi drops in this week to share about his 12-year Tableau journey, shining light on the strength in collaboration, how #datafam has evolved and how community projects like #MakeoverMonday helped him to build his unique consultant skillsets today. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ℹ️ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭? Welcome to "Secret...

In this episode of Secrets Of The Viz, Shreya breaks down her IronViz entry process, sharing her workflow of rapid ideation using Tableau and Figma to shape the narrative. The discussion also goes into the importance of accessibility, with how she uses alt text and the intentional midnight blue palette to associate with sleep. https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/shreya.arya/viz/Late-nightSnacks...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, we chat with Rudy, a Tableau Ambassador, about his fascinating IronViz entry on Tamales. Rudy shares his inspiration, design process, and the cultural significance of Tamales. We also discuss the challenges of data collection and his growth as a data visualization designer. Plus, get a sneak peek into his next exciting project on video games. Tune in to learn...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, we delve into the world of graphic design with our special guest, Rhea, a talented graphic designer known for her impactful project on the possibility of life on Mars. Rhea shares her journey from her beginnings in India, through her education at the Savannah College of Art and Design, to her innovative design projects. Discover the inspiration behind her Mar...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, we dive into the world of visual journalism with Jonas, a visual journalist from a major Swiss newspaper. Discover the growing importance of visual tools like QGIS and Blender, and understand the differences between visual and written journalism. We explore how visual storytelling can enhance understanding and engagement, and discuss the ideal workflow for cr...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, special guest Lilla Rasztik drops in to discuss her compelling IronViz entry. Lilla takes us through her journey with Tableau, which began as a hobby during the pandemic. Get an inside look at her creative process as she shares how a podcast inspired her Gin-themed visualization. Discover the challenges she faced, including transitioning from a bottle-based d...

In this episode of Secret of the Viz, host Louis welcomes Raisa Hannus to discuss her fascinating IronViz entry on the decline of Florida's fruit production, particularly oranges, due to disease. Raisa shares her journey into data analytics and Tableau, offering insights into her research process and design inspiration. She explains how she combined themes of fruit importation and local produc...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, host Louis welcomes back Rob Taylor to discuss his latest visualizations and growth over the past year. From playful creations like the Home Alone battle plan to powerful storytelling on rare diseases, Rob shares insights into his creative process and techniques. They dive deep into Rob's IronViz entry, exploring how the British Empire's influence on...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, we chat with Varun about his intriguing IronViz submission, which revolves around the recipes he's collected on Instagram but hasn't cooked yet. Varun shares his journey with Tableau, starting from TC21 during the COVID pandemic to becoming a Tableau Ambassador. He discusses his preference for horizontal visualizations, the challenges of finding the r...

In this episode of 'Secrets of the Viz,' Heather returns to discuss her IronViz entry 'Only To Be Sociable,' which tackles the social pressure of alcohol consumption in Asian and Australian cultures. She explores the innovative use of Tableau functionalities, such as exporting to CSV, parameter actions, and the 'apple equals orange' trick, to create a user-friendly viz for...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, host dives into a conversation with Hadi, an epidemiologist, data analyst, and co-owner of Health Office, to discuss his fascinating IronViz entry. Hadi shares his journey in Tableau and elaborates on his unique visualization – a 3D bar chart demonstrating the nutritional impact of cooking methods on different meats. He offers insights into his creative proce...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, Ann returns to discuss her latest visual project on ensuring astronauts' nutrition for space travel to Mars. Ann's visualization explores the challenges of food production in space, highlighting the unique constraints and innovative solutions. From hydroponic systems to the nutritional value of space-grown food, Ann dives deep into how astronauts can...

Join us in this episode of Secrets of the Viz as we chat with Ann Stolzman about her captivating #IronViz entry focused on Stardew Valley. Discover how Ann's journey with Tableau began and evolved over 13 years, leading to her innovative use of Tableau for visualizing the costs of friendships in Stardew Valley. Learn about her creative process, challenges, and how she incorporated game element...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, we delve into Nick Pillsbury's fascinating IronViz entry focusing on beer. Join us as Nick, a Staff BIE at Webflow, shares his unexpected journey into data visualization, his inspirations for this year's IronViz theme on food and drinks, and the meticulous process of collecting and visualizing beer data. From home brewing experiences to creative visua...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, host dives into the exciting world of #IronViz with special guest Stephen Detzel. Stephen takes us through his unique journey into Tableau, starting from his origins in Excel pivot tables to mastering Tableau Public and finally his remarkable viz 'The World Is Going Bananas'. The discussion covers his inspiration drawn from his son's diet, the com...

Join us in this episode of Secrets of the Viz as Zak Saucede, a data consultant at the Information Lab, dives into the world of sports analytics. Zak shares his journey from working in high-performance sports like tennis and football to his role in netball with London Pulse, where analytics played a crucial role in winning the Netball Super League. Learn about the use of GPS data, injury preventio...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, Tanya shares insights into two fascinating visualizations she created: one focusing on Aging Societies and another on Game of Thrones. Tanya discusses the technical aspects of using Python’s BPoly for drawing curves and integrating it with Tableau. She also explains her approach to visualizing aging demographics using map layers and sankey diagrams, emphasizi...

In this episode of Secrets of the Viz, we talk to Joel Reed, a data professional from the UK who transitioned from marketing to data analytics. Joel shares his experience with Tableau and how he used consistent efforts in #MakeoverMonday to level up. We also dive into his process for creating his passion project on 'The Great Escape', which combines history and data. https://public.tableau...