Initial Exploration

Open the Tableau workbook provided by the instructor.

Spend a few minutes exploring the initial graph. Take note of elements like color, labels, gridlines, and tooltips that seem confusing or unnecessary.

Identify Unnecessary Elements

Make a list of elements that seem redundant or distracting.

Question the utility of each element:

Does this element enhance readability?

Does it aid in interpreting the data?

Note down your observations for later discussion.

Color Simplification

Navigate to the "Marks" pane.

Click on "Color."

Choose a uniform color for all bars. If differentiation is needed among hierarchy levels, use subtle gradients.

Gridline Removal

Right-click along the gridlines present inside the graph.

Go to "Format Worksheet (or Format, depending on the version)."

Under "Lines," select "Grid Lines" and set them to "None."

Label Cleanup

Under "Font," select a clean, simple font and reduce the size to 10 or 12 for better readability.

Rows Refinement

Remove extraneous fields and leave only "Category" and "Sub-Category"

Sorting Optimization

Hover over the "Sales" axis labels.

Click the "Sort" icon that appears (usually looks like a set of ascending/descending bars).

Sort by descending order to see higher sales values at the top for each hierarchical level.

Interactive Filters

Drag "Category" and "Sub-Category" to the "Filters" shelf.

Click on the dropdown arrow next to each field and select "Show Filter" to make it an interactive filter on the dashboard.

Expand/Collapse Controls

Ensure that "+" and "-" controls for expanding or collapsing different levels of hierarchy are visible and intuitive.

Legend Simplification

If there's a color or size legend, review it.

Delete the legend if it doesn't provide useful information by clicking on it and then pressing the "Delete" key.

Decluttering and Getting Started with Tableau