The Great Dashboards Series: Do Simple, BUT Effective Dashboards Exist?
We all understand the power of a well-designed dashboard. Whether you’re looking at staff performance KPIs or analyzing your company’s sales trends, an effective dashboard is what gets the data conversation going.
And since with great power comes great responsibility, designing an efficient dashboard can sometimes seem like an impossible feat. But all in all, while simple and effective dashboards are somewhat of a rare species - we have built a checklist that can help you guide in this quest.
Define Your Dashboard Goals
What is the purpose of your dashboard? Who will be using this dashboard? What do you want it to convey to them? How will this dashboard help your organization?
Whether you’re trying to show overall performance or whether you want to identify gaps in your work, make sure that you and your team have a clear understanding of what the dashboard’s purpose is.
2. Choose the Right Data
Like any other organization, you are probably sitting on a plethora of data that you could use for this board. Since this data is going to be the backbone of your board, make sure it is clean, accurate, and answers the questions you asked in Step 1.
Additionally, remember to consider the source of your data. Before feeding your board, make sure that the data is being pulled correctly from the databases and it is compatible with your design.
3. Include ONLY Key Information
DO NOT overpopulate your board. Make sure to include only information that is relevant to your goals and objectives. Your dashboard shouldn’t drown your users in data. Try including only information that aids users in getting the actionable insights they need.
4. Select the Right Charts
While there are countless charts you can use, not all of them will serve your purpose. We have provided a list of most commonly used charts and their usage:
Bar Charts – best used for comparisons, group analysis and trends.
Pie Charts – only use to represent portions of a whole
Line Charts – most commonly used to track developments over a period of time
Gauges – used to track the progress of a specific KPI
Area Charts – also tracks specific developments over a period of time
Though we might think bar charts are “too easy”, they’ll effectively communicate your insights a majority of the time.
5. Make it Easy to Read
When designing, there a couple of things to consider in terms of size and formatting:
Use color wisely - remember that not all users see colors similarly and therefore we suggest using a small color palette
Position and size matters - you can use them to show hierarchy (the top left corner is where eyes are drawn naturally, therefore that’s the spot where your most important information should be)
Round your numbers - round your numbers depending on the context
6. Be Consistent
Avoid the temptation to play around with your styling and charts for different metrics within your dashboard. A board is much easier to understand when it is consistent in style and formatting. Your charts and sizing should be repeated throughout the design.
7. Keep Evolving
Feedback is a GIFT. Asking for feedback helps understand whether the dashboard serves its purpose or there are some points that need additional work. This step is essential as it helps drive a data-prone approach and helps the organization achieve its goals.
The Great Dashboard Series is a tribute to the dashboards we have scraped, the countless hours we spent creating complex but beautiful graphs only to have people still ask what we were trying to show.