Creating a Strategic Video Game Sales Dashboard with Tableau

In today's data-driven world, making informed decisions is crucial for success. To aid in strategic planning, I created a Tableau dashboard that visualizes video game sales trends. This dashboard was designed to answer key questions that can help managers make data-informed decisions. Here's a step-by-step guide to the process, from data preparation to final visualization.

Initial Questions

To start, I consulted ChatGPT for guidance on framing strategic questions that a manager would find valuable. Here are the three questions we focused on:

1. Which platforms have the highest total sales?

• This question helps identify the most profitable gaming platforms, guiding decisions on which platforms to prioritize for future game releases.

1. What are the top-performing genres in different regions?

• Analyzing the sales performance of different genres (e.g., Sports, Racing, Role-Playing) in various regions (North America, Europe, Japan, Rest of the World) can inform targeted marketing strategies and development focus for specific markets.

1. How have sales trends changed over the years for different publishers?

• This provides insights into the growth or decline of various publishers' market shares over time, helping forecast future trends and make informed strategic partnerships or investments.

Data Preparation in Excel

Before diving into Tableau, I prepared the data in Excel. Here are the steps I took:

• Delete Duplicates: Ensured that the dataset was clean by removing any duplicate entries.

• Change Column Titles: Renamed columns to make them more understandable and user-friendly, facilitating better chart creation and data interpretation.

Visualization in Tableau

With the cleaned data, I moved on to Tableau to create the visualizations. Here's how I addressed each question:

1. Platforms with the Highest Total Sales

To visualize which platforms have the highest total sales:

• Bar Chart: Created a bar chart with platforms on the x-axis and total sales on the y-axis.

• Sorting: Sorted the bars in descending order to highlight the top-performing platforms.

2. Top-Performing Genres in Different Regions

To analyze top-performing genres by region:

• Stacked Bar Chart: Created a stacked bar chart with genres on the y-axis and sales in different regions represented by different colors.

• Filters: Added filters to allow users to view specific regions and genres as needed.

3. Sales Trends Over the Years for Different Publishers

To illustrate sales trends over the years for different publishers:

• Line Chart: Created a line chart with years on the x-axis and global sales on the y-axis.

• Color Coding: Used different colors for each publisher to differentiate their sales trends.

• Detail: Added publisher names to the detail shelf to ensure each publisher's trend is plotted separately.

Final Dashboard

The final dashboard combines these visualizations to provide a comprehensive view of video game sales trends. It allows managers to:

• Identify the most profitable platforms.

• Understand regional preferences for different genres.

• Track the performance of publishers over time.

By leveraging this dashboard, managers can make data-driven decisions that align with market trends and consumer preferences.

You can view the completed dashboard here: Video Game Sale Trends Dashboard.

This project highlights the power of combining data preparation tools like Excel with advanced visualization platforms like Tableau, enhanced by strategic guidance from AI tools like ChatGPT. Through this process, we can transform raw data into actionable insights that drive strategic planning and business success.