Why is it impossible to have a great standard data visualization?

For years, creating data visualizations has frustrated statisticians, data analysts and data scientists.

Software - especially SAS - hasn't been great and organisation have tried to take the pain out of the process by creating standard figures.  

But these standard graphics fail to communicate the message to the intended audience in the best way.

Great data visualisations consider the needs of an audience in terms of language, understanding, and context, as well as the communication channel and the message to be conveyed. With so many elements to take into account, the design space for visualisations can be overwhelming with factors such as color, filtering data, animation, and uncertainties all coming into play.

Unfortunately, many senior people in large statistics organizations focus only on regulatory requirements and don't invest time in understanding the importance of visualizations.

In this episode, I discuss why it is difficult to create a great standard data visualization and what organizations can do to improve their data visualization game.