7.3: Exploratory vs. Explanatory Visualization
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- 48081
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Exploratory vs. Explanatory Visualization
As you begin creating visualizations, it’s important to distinguish between exploratory and explanatory phases of analysis`. These two approaches serve different purposes in the analytics process. Exploratory data visualization is what an analyst does for themselves while analyzing data. It’s the “sandbox” or “herding cats” stage of working with data, where you generate many charts freely to spot patterns, test hypotheses, and uncover interesting nuggets. In exploratory mode, you might not have a specific message yet—you are turning over “100 rocks to find 1 or 2 precious gemstones” in the data. This process is often messy, iterative, and done in private; it’s about finding the story in the data, not yet telling it.
Explanatory data visualization, on the other hand, is what you create for an audience once you have a specific insight or story to communicate. Explanatory visuals are typically polished and purposeful, designed to highlight certain findings and lead viewers to a conclusion. It requires understanding your audience and what matters to them, then structuring the visualization (and any narrative around it) to connect with their needs. In short, exploratory visualization is about interacting with the data to see what’s interesting, while explanatory visualization is about presenting a specific insight or story in the data [5].
It’s worth noting that these modes can blend. You might include interactive elements in an explanatory dashboard to let users do a bit of exploration on their own (sometimes called interactive data storytelling). But generally, you’ll start with exploration to find the insights, then move to explanation to communicate them. Keeping this distinction in mind ensures that when you share a chart or dashboard, you’ve already done the homework of exploring alternatives and you’re showing something purposeful. An exploratory chart for yourself might have lots of variables and be tweaked on the fly; an explanatory chart for stakeholders will be more focused, annotated, and streamlined to convey the key point clearly. Both are essential: exploration gives you confidence in your findings, and explanation allows you to tell a story with data effectively to others.
