The Great Dashboard Series: To Do or Not to Do?
Have you ever wondered whether your dashboards are communicating right? Are they actually telling relevant insights or are they just a collection of all your “aha moments”?
To help you answer these questions, we have talked to our designers and together we have come up with best practices to help you design simple but meaningful dashboards. Here are what we consider to be the dos and don’ts of a good dashboard.
DO: Know your audience
When you start your dashboard, it is important to know who will be using it most. Think about what is most important to those users and make it personal for them. This way, you can create meaningful dashboards for your audience where they can internalize key information for their job.
2. DO: Ask for Feedback
While you as the creator know how to use your own dashboard, there are times when the users just aren’t sure what to do. To avoid such cases, share your dashboard with them before submitting the final version. Ask the users whether they understand the story you are telling, can they understand the key insights and in general, does the dashboard fit their needs.
3. DO: Use Icons as Visual Cues
In order to make your dashboard accessible for as many users as possible, don’t rely on colors alone in your design. Try using icons instead of colors to help users better navigate through the information. Icons can help users better understand the data and the importance of specific data sets and values.
4. DON’T: Overdo it with the Color Palette
Keep your dashboards simple - remember, less is more. We encourage you to use colors intelligently and not overdo it with bright, screaming colors. Keep in mind that many users might not be able to see colors the same as you, therefore sticking to a five-color palette might make your dashboard more user-friendly.
5. DON’T: Use Complex Graphs
Don’t overdesign. You might have seen some pretty cool dashboards that use gauge charts or have dynamic sparklines. We suggest prioritizing functionality over design. Your dashboard should be easy to understand and get the message across quickly. By adhering to visual best practices, you help your audience better understand the data.
6. DON’T: Try to Answer Every Question
While your dashboard should provide answers to specific questions, it shouldn’t answer ALL the questions. Instead, it should generate new questions for the users to explore. This helps your company develop a more data-driven approach, where users are encouraged to do a deeper dive into the data and create new insights.