Key point
Shape beats one number
A dataset has a shape. The shape tells you if most values are packed together, spread out, split into groups, or pulled by a few extreme values.
Before you claim “users finish in 4 minutes” or “students spend ₹200”, look at the full distribution. Your insight should match the shape, not just the centre.
What to look for
A histogram shows how often values fall into ranges. A box plot shows the middle half, the median, and possible outliers.
For hackathon work, look for four things: skew, outliers, clusters, and range. These usually change the story.