Too often, vague requests and messy datasets lead analysts down the wrong path. So, we put together a practical framework for moving from raw data to clearer, useful insights. Read the guide on our blog:
When you're working closely with a dataset, insights may be obvious to you but less clear to stakeholders unfamiliar with the data. Check out 8 tips for building clearer data visualizations, and explore more examples in the Observable Plot gallery: buff.ly/E5UV4J5
With AI, poorly framed analyses can now produce polished, convincing, wrong answers faster than ever. The fix starts before you open the chat. Learn more: buff.ly/NUyeVtN
AI writes code faster than we can build comprehension, producing analyses that run, but aren’t trusted. We need mediums for AI-powered data analysis that keep humans in the loop of understanding, not just prompting. More from our co-CEO Julio Avalos:
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AI can write code faster than we can understand it. That's not a model problem — it's an environment problem. We've improved "write" without improving "run" and "inspect." The result: opacity at machine speed. Our co-CEO writes on restoring the loop: buff.ly/aGfLsYt
🧇 Happy International Waffle Day! Did you know that Observable Plot has a built-in waffle mark? Visit the Plot documentation to see examples and learn about helpful options to customize chart units, adjust spacing, round values, and more: buff.ly/WHUKm5f
Bar charts, line charts, and pie charts are useful and ubiquitous chart types in BI tools, but sometimes they can fall short. Learn about effective, engaging alternatives that are easy to build with Observable Plot:
🧠 Know your audience. 💾 Understand your data. 📊 Design for interpretability. These lessons from data journalism can help data teams build better data visualizations. Read more:
Pi day is tomorrow, which naturally has us thinking about pie charts! Below, explore 8 ways to visualize parts of a whole. Then fork a notebook from the Observable Plot or D3 gallery to build your own.
👉 Plot gallery: buff.ly/csEj326
👉 D3 gallery: buff.ly/XOuxW7f
AI agents are making it easier than ever to explore company data. Broader access makes a strong data culture grounded in learning, transparency, and responsible practices more important than ever. Learn how data teams can lead the way 👇
Different map types reveal insights in unique ways. Explore 10 ways to visualize spatial data, from bubble maps to grid cartograms. Discover a map type that suits your data, then fork an example from the Observable Plot gallery to create your own: buff.ly/csEj326
A typical choropleth map represents values for a single continuous variable using color. But what if you want to map composition across multiple categories instead? Check out Joe Davies’ ternary choropleth map, which visualizes population age structure based on 3 discrete age bins: buff.ly/mQoRjGV
AI-powered analysis is changing how and where stakeholders want to interact with data. Read our new post for more on:
🤖 How AI is democratizing data analysis
💡 What this means for stakeholder expectations
🤝 How data teams can meet users where they are, without sacrificing rigor
When D3 was released in February 2011, it transformed how we build data visualizations for the web and ushered in a new age of unbridled creativity in information design, data journalism, and beyond. Today, it remains the backbone of modern, interactive data viz.
Happy 15th birthday, D3 🎂
d3js.org
Thanks Jo Wood, for articulating so well what we love about Observable Notebooks!
Interactive data visualization can bridge disciplines, democratize exploration, and transform how teams think with data. Learn how Dr. Philip Bogden helped oncology researchers move beyond spreadsheets into collaborative, visual analysis that streamlines discovery: buff.ly/XTd6uGI
Observable's Julio Avalos and Marisa Morby recently chatted about AI's impact and opportunity in data analysis, shifting stakeholder expectations, and the role of advanced data visualization in this new reality. Check it out👇
🎥 Recording: buff.ly/Jn8ng3o
📝 Recap post: buff.ly/9Cdyh4N
AI is fundamentally changing the data analysis and BI landscape. Learn how AI is meaningfully improving data analysis workflows today, where it's falling short, and what it means to operationalize AI responsibly in real-world data teams👇
Whether you're building a chart from scratch, forking a notebook, or using AI to prototype, it helps to understand the data formats your visualization tools expect.
Learn how to reshape data for Observable Plot & D3, and check out our reusable code snippets: buff.ly/Pna1bVO
Observable Plot helps you build expressive, interactive data visualizations with concise and approachable code. Plus, advanced customization options like spatial interpolation, color blend modes, and interactive crosshairs come built-in.
👉 Discover 8 underused Plot options:
Between AI advances and rising stakeholder expectations, the BI and data analysis landscape is changing fast. What can data teams do to adapt? In a recent fireside chat, our CEO and Director of Research unpacked what these changes mean for data teams:
Missed our webinar on the evolving data analysis & BI landscape? Observable’s Director of Research Marisa Morby and co-CEO Julio Avalos discuss AI’s impact and opportunity in data analysis, shifting stakeholder expectations, and why advanced data viz matters. 🎥
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It's great to move fast in data analysis, but not if that means skipping important steps to ensure your work is accurate and useful. In our new post, we share 4 practical habits to avoid common gotchas in data analysis 👉 buff.ly/aYJqkvW
🔍 Observable AI works transparently so you can inspect and verify AI-generated outputs. See 3 ways we use AI in exploratory data analysis for quick data profiling, data wrangling with text-to-SQL, and drafting interactive charts 👉 buff.ly/aSKDUHg
Our webinar on the evolving landscape of data analysis and visualization is tomorrow at 1PM ET / 10AM PT! Register now and bring questions for the live Q&A:
🗺️ Comparing values by region can be tricky with spatial data due to vastly different geographies. Enter the grid cartogram: an engaging map type that represents subregions using uniform tiles, while avoiding overlap. Learn more 👇
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Verifiable, spatial AI can help you get you from big, complex data to trusted insights — faster. Learn about Observable's approach to AI 👉 buff.ly/tN3Z6Rq
If you’re on a data team, you’re probably being asked for more insights — faster. AI is reshaping BI & analytics, but it’s not without challenges. Join Observable Co-CEO Julio Avalos and Director of Research Marisa Morby for a conversation on what data teams are learning. Register:
🔮 The BI and analytics landscape is rapidly changing. While we may not be able to precisely predict the future, we have a pretty good sense of where the industry is going. Read our POV and see how you can take advantage of these shifts. buff.ly/j0LWAc4
At Observable, we think rich, interactive charts shouldn’t be limited to expert developers. That’s why the Observable Canvases chart library includes advanced features like visual filtering, responsiveness, and extreme value handling by default.
📈 Learn more 👉 buff.ly/NpzeXwH
