On My Fascination With Data Visualization

One afternoon in November 2014, I was waiting for a kettle to boil after putting my newborn son down for a nap. While I was making tea, YouTube's algorithm served me "Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes". I had no idea at the time how those 4.5 minutes would reshape the way I think about data, financial analysis, and storytelling.

Dr. Rosling, co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières and professor of global health, had a unique ability to make statistics feel alive. TED said it best: "In Hans Rosling’s hands, data sings." That was exactly how it felt.

I’ve always believed that seeing something is often more powerful than hearing about it. Every time I worked with seasoned CFOs and controllers, I saw firsthand how they could pull meaning from numbers with remarkable clarity and few words. That experience convinced me that presenting facts visually can be a more respectful, and often more effective, approach than jumping to conclusions the audience might not be ready for. A clear visual often cuts through doubt and moves people closer to action.

Since then, I’ve taken data science and visualization courses, built hundreds of visualizations in Tableau, and leaned into visuals to support my arguments. These tools help me spot patterns, highlight inefficiencies, and make ideas more intuitive. And I’ve come to see that the shortest path to a decision is often just letting people see the facts and come to their own conclusions. A strong visualization can do exactly that.

In recent years, I’ve started sharing more of these data stories online through my website. If you ever come across a dense, multi-layered chart in one of my articles, it’s probably there for a reason, because I believe that data, when shown right, can speak for itself.

Ever since I started using Canva, I’ve watched their annual product release presentations—each one a mini-masterclass in communication and visual storytelling. In their latest Uncharted Keynote 2025, I learned that Duncan Clark, Canva’s Head of Europe, is not only a former journalist passionate about turning data into stories, but also a co-founder of Flourish, the visualization platform now integrated into Canva.

A little detour exploring Flourish’s features led me to a gem: a replica of Hans Rosling’s iconic chart showing the relationship between life expectancy and GDP from 1960 to 2021. The same story that got me hooked all those years ago, reborn in an interactive format.

Now, I can’t really write about visualizations without showing you one, can I? Here it is, as recreated by the Flourish team. Isn’t it a work of art? And yes, follow one of those little blue bubbles. That one’s Kazakhstan.