Data Visualisation and Storytelling

Charts that answer a question, and the narrative around them

4.6(1,873 reviews)40,150 learners

Created by Daniel Mercer

Updated March 2026EnglishAll levels9h62 lectures

What you will learn

  • Match chart form to the question being asked
  • Use colour and scale honestly, including where to start an axis
  • Annotate so the point does not depend on the reader's diligence
  • Design charts that stay readable in dark mode and in print
  • Build a narrative sequence for a presentation or a report
  • Recognise and avoid the standard misleading patterns

Course content

12 sections · 62 lectures · 9h total length

  • What this course covers, and what it does notPreview03:00
  • How to get the most out of itPreview04:00
  • Setting up and downloading the exercise files06:00

  • Encoding and perceptionPreview13:00
  • Encoding and perception in detail09:00
  • A closer look at encoding and perception10:00
  • Worked example: encoding and perception05:00
  • Where encoding and perception goes wrong08:00
  • Exercise: encoding and perception03:00

Topics covered

Encoding and perceptionChoosing a chart formScales and axesColour that survives accessibility checksAnnotation and labellingSmall multiplesDashboards versus reportsNarrative structureMisleading chartsPresenting to sceptics

Requirements

  • You can produce a basic chart in some tool — Python, R, or a spreadsheet

Description

A chart is an argument. This course covers the mechanics — encoding, scales, colour, annotation — and then the harder skill of building a sequence of charts that leads a sceptical audience to a conclusion without overstating it.

Your instructor

DM
Daniel Mercer

ML engineer, ex-search infrastructure

4.7 instructor rating1,40,930 learners3 courses

Daniel spent years making search results better for millions of people, which mostly meant evaluation, not modelling. He teaches machine learning with the measurement work put back in.

Learner reviews

4.61,873 reviews
  • 5 star64%
  • 4 star28%
  • 3 star5%
  • 2 star2%
  • 1 star1%
  • DD
    Dmitri D.11 January 2026

    Not what I expected from the description. The first half was too basic for me.

  • LG
    Lucas G.17 February 2026

    Exactly what I needed. It assumes you are an adult and does not over-explain.

  • QB
    Quentin B.9 October 2025

    Concise and honest about what it does not cover, which I appreciated.

  • QA
    Quentin A.7 February 2026

    The instructor answers questions properly rather than pointing you at the documentation.

  • BS
    Ben S.16 August 2025

    Excellent. The examples are realistic rather than the usual toy versions.

  • WW
    Wei W.7 December 2025

    Genuinely well structured. I have started three courses on this topic and this is the first one I finished.

  • YL
    Yara L.20 February 2026

    Very practical. I applied something from module four at work the same week.

  • HO
    Hugo O.14 October 2025

    I have recommended this to two colleagues already. The structure makes it easy to dip back into.

  • LS
    Lucas S.3 January 2026

    Very practical. I applied something from module four at work the same week.

Showing 9 of 1,873 reviews.

Learners also looked at

More from Data Science and beyond.

All Data Science

Python for Data Analysis

Priya Raghunathan

4.7(9,315)
24h162 lecturesBeginner
₹2,299₹4,499
Bestseller

Modern JavaScript From the Ground Up

Amara Osei

4.7(8,412)
28h 30m186 lecturesBeginner
₹2,499₹4,499
Bestseller

Photography Foundations

Yusuf Demir

4.8(6,218)
13h88 lecturesBeginner
₹1,499₹3,299
Bestseller

React in Production

Amara Osei

4.8(6,187)
22h148 lecturesIntermediate
₹2,999₹5,999
Bestseller