Crafting Compelling Visuals

Advanced Visual Crafting

Learning Outcome

6

Design reports that guide users, not confuse them

5

Understand the role of bookmarks and dynamic titles

4

Explain interactivity features such as drill-throughs and tooltips

3

Apply advanced formatting techniques conceptually

2

Understand when and why to use each advanced visual

1

Identify advanced visual types in Power BI

Recall

Basic visualizations

card

Bar

 line

table

How visuals respond to slicers and filters

Basic report layout and formatting

That visuals can interact with each other

Imagine You open a report.

The charts look clean.

 The numbers are correct.

But everything feels… flat.

You click a slicer.

Only numbers change.

You hover.

Nothing explains.

Now imagine another report.

You click a region.

The report focuses.

You hover.

Extra insight appears.

Colors guide your attention before you even start thinking.

The data didn’t change.

 The visuals did.

If the data is the same:

Why do some reports feel intuitive,

 

while others feel confusing?

Why do some reports guide users,

 


while others leave them guessing?

Good reports don’t just show data.

They respond to the user.

That responsiveness comes from Advanced Visual Crafting.

  • Before adding interactivity, we must understand advanced visual types
  • Different visuals answer different analytical needs​
  • Once the right visual is chosen, advanced techniques enhance it

Advanced Visual Types in Power BI

Advanced visual types help represent complex or high-level information more effectively than basic charts.

Advanced Visual Types

Matrices

Tables

Maps

Gauges

Cards

KPI Visuals

Matrices

Multi-dimensional visual similar to pivot tables

Support:

Row and column grouping

Drill-down and expand/collapse

Best used for:

Hierarchical data

Summarised views with detail on demand

Example :

Tables

Grid-based display of data

Best used for:

  • Exact values
  • Detailed inspection

Can be enhanced with:

  • Sorting
  • Filtering
  • Conditional formatting

Maps

Used to display geographic data

Useful only when location adds analytical value

Common use cases:

Sales by country/state

Regional performance

Gauges

Show progress toward a target

Best for:

Performance tracking

Should be used sparingly (one metric at a time)

KPIs

Cards

Highlight a single key metric

Used for:

Total sales

Profit

Counts

Provide instant focus for the user

KPI Visuals

Compare actual values against targets

Often include:

Status indicators

Trend direction

Best for performance monitoring

 What Is Advanced Visual Crafting ?

  • Advanced visual crafting enhances visuals using:

Formatting rules

Interactivity

Navigation features

  • Focuses on user experience, not just appearance
  • Helps users:

Understand faster

Explore deeper

Make confident decisions

 Why Use Advanced Visual Crafting

Enhancing Storytelling

  • Visuals guide users through insights

Improving User Experience

  • Reports feel intuitive and responsive

Optimizing Data Representation

  • Important values stand out automatically

Supporting Customization

  • Reports adapt to different users and business needs

Conditional Formatting

Dynamically changes visual appearance based on values

Common techniques:

  • Color scales
  • Icons
  • Data bars

Purpose

Direct attention to critical insights

Highlight risks and opportunities

Drill-throughs

Enable navigation from summary to detailed views

Context is passed automatically

Use Cases

  • Region → region details
  • Product → transaction-level data

 Custom Tooltips

Display rich information on hover

Used for:

Keep main visuals clean

Additional context

Comparisons

Breakdowns

Bookmarks

Navigation

Visual visibility

Save specific report states

Use Cases:

Control:

Filters

Simulated dashboards

Toggle views

How Advanced Visual Techniques Work Together

Formatting highlights it

Drill-throughs expand it

Tooltips explain it

Advanced visual types show information

Bookmarks navigate it

Together, they create intuitive reports

Visual Techniques

Summary

5

Bookmarks improve navigation

4

Drill-throughs and tooltips support exploration

3

Conditional formatting guides attention

2

Advanced crafting improves storytelling and usability

1

Advanced visual types handle complex information

Quiz

Which visual is best for hierarchical data?

A. Bar chart

B. Line chart

C. Matrix

D. Card

Quiz-Answer

Which visual is best for hierarchical data?

A. Bar chart

B. Line chart

C. Matrix

D. Card