Bump charts are great at showing who's rising, who's falling, and who's staying on top—but they don't tell you the whole story.

In this episode, Alli explains what a bump chart is, when to use one, and what to watch out for when comparing rankings instead of actual values. Plus, she highlights three creative examples from the storytelling with data community that use color, added context, and an unexpected layout to make changes in rankings easier to see and understand.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Show notes: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/116

• Register for the Nov 5th live, public workshop

  • Use the code PODCAST10 for 10% off!

• September community challenge about bump charts

  • Mehrol’s bump chart about Olympic medals

  • Jeffrey’s bump chart about airlines

  • Akindynos’ bump chart about notices from the Greek government

• Datawrapper: How to create a Bump Chart (Article)

• Jon Schwabish: Create a Bump Chart in Flourish (Video)

• Jon Schwabish: Create a Bump Chart in Excel (Article)

Does telling a story with data introduce bias? In this episode, Cole explores the tension between objectivity and perspective—and why simply “showing the data” isn’t as neutral as it may seem. If you’ve ever worried that storytelling could compromise rigor, learn how to bring your expertise and point of view to the data while still communicating uncertainty, limitations, and alternative interpretations responsibly.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Show notes: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/115

• Schedule your storytelling with data team training

• Download our free SWD + AI Primer PDF document

• Article: lead with story

• Article: so what?

Cole recently appeared on the Analytics Power Hour, and this was such a great conversation, we're rebroadcasting it here!

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There’s a version of this episode where AI replaces the data visualization expert entirely, and there’s a version where it’s useless without one. Neither is quite right, according to Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic of Storytelling with Data, who joined Tim, Moe, and Julie to sort out where AI genuinely earns its keep in data storytelling and where it’s just producing a shinier first draft of the same shitty slide. Cole—admittedly a skeptic-turned-convert who once joked she’d retire before having to deal with any of this—walks through why the humans who benefit most from AI are the ones who already have the foundation to know when to ignore it, why “let me look at some options” beats “give me the final chart” as a prompt, and why the analog, pencil-and-paper parts of the process might be the most valuable friction in the whole workflow. Bring your own opinions on whether Claude should ever be handed “the rules” and told to just go.

RESOURCED MENTIONED:

• Show notes: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/podcast/114

• Schedule your storytelling with data team training

• Download our free SWD + AI Primer PDF document

• Article: using AI without giving up control (Alex Velez)

• Video: Data Storytelling in the Age of AI

• Storytelling with Data: AI Resources

• Storytelling with Data: AI Workshops

• Merlin Bird ID (app)

• Choiceology: The Algorithm Advantage (podcast)

• What kind of reader are you? (assessment)

• Funky Saurus by Matt Coen (video)