Seeing the Purpose: Rediscovering the Why Behind Data Visualization

During a recent webinar, one of our presenters paused to ask a deceptively simple question: Why visualize data at all? It wasn’t rhetorical. It wasn’t technical. It was the kind of question that hit deeper than expected—and judging by the comments and feedback, it struck a chord with the audience too.

It certainly stuck with me.

In our organization, we spend a lot of time showing clients how to visualize data— within reporting and dashboarding engines in databases (think Salesforce), with business intelligence tools like Power BI, and in spreadsheets. But that webinar, (developed by our Senior Technology Consultant, Erica Blake) reminded us that we don’t always stop to talk about why we do this in the first place. Why visualize? Why not just run reports, or write summaries, or leave the numbers where they are?

So we decided to write about it. Not to explain another tool or technique, but to re-center purpose: why data visualization matters, and what it really offers when done with intention.

Why Visualize?

To evaluate whether what we’re doing is working. 

Data visualization helps turn raw data into insights— it is easier to gather insights about trends, totals, changes, or even missing data when looking at visualizations of the data than looking at a spreadsheet or dataset. Visualizations help distill data, so that we can see key information quickly.

To identify success and areas for improvement. 

Well-designed visuals pull back the curtain on gaps and milestones. We can spot which populations are thriving in a program and which are underrepresented. We can see where services are over- or under-utilized. These visual cues prompt deeper inquiry and better questions.

To guide strategy with focus. 

When we can see where impact is strongest—or weakest—we can make better decisions about where to direct our time and people. Visualization helps us zoom out, see the full landscape, and act more strategically.  

To communicate our story more effectively. 

Numbers on their own are important – seeing a total number of households who entered housing or hotline callers provided with resources in a month or a year can be vital. What a visualization can do is add another layer: it can help organizations see how many clients by program, by month, day and year were served, year over year. Trends are not easily evaluated in static numbers – but they can be transformed into a compelling visual, they can capture attention, evoke emotion, and build credibility. Whether you're talking to funders, board members, or community partners, visualizations help people see the importance of your work, not just hear about it.

This shift in perspective—from "what should this chart look like?" to "why do we even need a chart?"—isn’t just philosophical. It’s practical. When the why is clear, everything else falls into place: what data to collect, how to present it, and who needs to see it.

Before your next presentation or annual report, take a moment to ask: 
Why does this need to be visualized? What insight are we trying to surface? And who needs to see it, clearly and quickly, to act on it?

The “why” grounds the work in purpose. And in a field where time and resources are limited, purpose is everything.