Data Storytelling with Google Looker Studio: A hands-on guide to using Looker Studio for building compelling and effective dashboards

Apply data storytelling concepts and analytical thinking to create dashboards and reports in Looker Studio to aid data-driven decision making

Key Features

• Gain a solid understanding of data visualization principles and learn to apply them effectively
• Get to grips with the concepts and features of Looker Studio to create powerful data stories
• Explore the end-to-end process of building dashboards with the help of practical examples

Book Description

Presenting data visually makes it easier for organizations and individuals to interpret and analyze information. Looker Studio is an easy-to-use, collaborative tool that enables you to transform your data into engaging visualizations. This allows you to build and share dashboards that help monitor key performance indicators, identify patterns, and generate insights to ultimately drive decisions and actions.

Data Storytelling with Looker Studio begins by laying out the foundational design principles and guidelines that are essential to creating accurate, effective, and compelling data visualizations. Next, you'll delve into features and capabilities of Looker Studio – from basic to advanced – and explore their application with examples. The subsequent chapters walk you through building dashboards with a structured three-stage process called the 3D approach using real-world examples that'll help you understand the various design and implementation considerations. This approach involves determining the objectives and needs of the dashboard, designing its key components and layout, and developing each element of the dashboard.

By the end of this book, you will have a solid understanding of the storytelling approach and be able to create data stories of your own using Looker Studio.

What you will learn

• Understand what storytelling with data means, and explore its various forms
• Discover the 3D approach to building dashboards – determine, design, and develop
• Test common data visualization pitfalls and learn how to mitigate them
• Get up and running with Looker Studio and leverage it to explore and visualize data
• Explore the advanced features of Looker Studio with examples
• Become well-versed in the step-by-step process of the 3D approach using practical examples
• Measure and monitor the usage patterns of your Looker Studio reports

Who this book is for

If you are a beginner or an aspiring data analyst looking to understand the core concepts of data visualization and want to use Looker Studio for creating effective dashboards, this book is for you. No specific prior knowledge is needed to understand the concepts present in this book. Experienced data analysts and business intelligence developers will also find this book useful as a detailed guide to using Looker Studio as well as a refresher of core dashboarding concepts.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Data Storytelling
2. Principles of Data Visualization
3. Visualizing Data Effectively
4. Google Looker Studio Overview
5. Looker Studio Report Designer
6. Looker Studio Built-in Charts
7. Looker Studio Features, Beyond Basics
8. Employee Turnover Analysis
9. Mortgage Complaints Analysis
10. Customer Churn Analysis
11. Monitoring Looker Studio Report Usage

Sireesha Pulipati is an experienced data analytics and data management professional. She has spent the last decade building and managing data platforms and solutions, and is passionate about enabling users to leverage data to solve business problems.

Sireesha holds a master’s degree in Business Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Her work history spans multiple industries – healthcare, media, travel & hospitality, high-tech, and more. She is currently at Google as an analytics lead, helping with analytics strategy to support Search Knowledge Graph. Outside of work, Sireesha enjoys hiking and reading books. She currently resides in the Bay Area.