Week 6 - BALT 4361 - Exploring Looker Studio and Data Visualization

 In chapter seven we learned about Looker Studio (previously Google Data Studio). Honestly I did not think a free tool could be this powerful. Prior to reading this chapter I assumed you needed to have a paid software program or know how to code at an advanced level in order to visualize your data. I think my favorite part about Looker Studio is how user friendly it is with the ability to just drag and drop things on the page. Learning that you can take raw data from Google Sheets or Google Analytics and turn it into something as impactful as an interactive dashboard really made data less scary for me. It allowed me to realize that visualization is about telling a story with your data in a way that’s easy to understand.

I also enjoyed how the chapter broke down Looker Studio vs Tableau. I liked that it was very clear about Looker Studio being free and allowing you to connect to other Google products you might use. While Tableau is great it can get pretty expensive and has a steep learning curve. Learning about the differences and similarities between the two made me think about how lucky we are to have access to technology like this. There are plenty of companies and individuals that would love to have these tools but they do not have the funds. Growing up, my parents always told me if you can’t afford something you don’t need it. I feel as though having free tools like Looker Studio that can do the same thing as something you have to pay for (Tableau) really allows everyone to have equal opportunities. I think knowing how to operate both would be helpful when job hunting in the future.

My favorite activity in the chapter was creating charts with the UFO dataset. I enjoyed uploading the CSV file, creating bar charts, pie charts, and even adding a date range filter. Rather than looking at a spreadsheet full of numbers, you can create visualizations that allow you to see that most sightings come from California or that the most reported sighting shape is unidentified. This activity really helped me understand how important it is to not only know how to interpret data but also present it.