Laura Ellis explains the benefits of pre-sketching data visualizations:
When you take on a new data visualization project, it can be tempting to jump in and create visualizations right away with the idea that after enough exploring, the final format will present itself to you. And while it is important to dedicate time to EDA (exploratory data analysis), it can also be very beneficial to define a high-level plan early in the process.
Over time, I’ve found that producing an early sketch has been helpful in reducing the total amount of time and iterations taken towards building the end product.
Read on for the reasons why.