In his book , Stephen Few put it best:. A dashboard is a visual display of the most important information needed to achieve one or more objectives; consolidated and arranged on a single screen so the information can be monitored at a glance. Mobile dashboard design by Mason Yarnell for Mixpanel.
In this article, we outline strategic, analytical, operational, and informational examples as well as the fundamental principles that lie at the heart of every successful dashboard design, regardless of its type. Having the right approach to data visualization is a key feature in laying the foundation of a successful dashboard.
Data visualization is the presentation of data via graphics and pictures—its primary objective is to help decision makers identify patterns or understand difficult concepts that may go undetected in text-based applications. All design choices and particular implementations must serve this purpose. An effective dashboard shows actionable and useful information at a glance. It simplifies the visual representation of complex data and helps stakeholders understand, analyze, and present key insights.
An initial customization of visual data and information to key user requirements will help improve usability and eliminate the need for different user personas. Detailed data pulled up from a dashboard on a modal, by Toptal Designer Miklos Philips.
In a world overwhelmed with data, providing clear information is one of the most difficult things to accomplish. Presenting only the most relevant data on dashboards is essential—the more information we display, the harder it is for users to find what they need. When faced with too much data to select from, designers should display only the most relevant subset. We need to prioritize and carefully remove misleading and unclear metrics.
Dashboard design by Toptal Designer Stelian Subotin. When reading a visualization or any other kind of communication , your reader has a limited amount of brainpower to dedicate to the problem. The core objective of a dashboard is to make complex information accessible and easy to digest. The information architecture should present the essential data first while allowing access to supporting or secondary metrics.
A progressive drill-down system should be designed that starts with a general overview and then goes into more detail—it facilitates data prioritization, and creates clarity. Mobile dashboard design by Jan Losert. When designing dashboards, successful dashboard designers start with a well-defined set of goals focusing on the problem to solve and the key, actionable insights people need to take away from the data.
Good design goals promote efficient and precise execution. Employing the S. T framework for goal setting puts the focus on specific , measurable , actionable , realistic , and time-based objectives.
Dashboard design by Toptal Designer Miklos Philips. Goal-centric design focuses on solutions to real problems and is the foundation for all great dashboard design. Start with a clear understanding of business objectives, consider user goals, and then convey the key information that needs to be communicated.
Choosing the metrics and KPIs to track is an important part of the dashboard design process. Dashboards are built as a direct response to the needs of your team or business. Answer the following three questions as a starting point. Try building a dashboard in PowerMetrics , our lightweight BI tool that will help you level-up your analytics. Use our Starter Guides to dashboards and dashboard design to help you get started. Need inspiration for the metrics to put on your dashboard? On MetricHQ, you can search for a specific metric, or search for new metrics by category or service or add Instant Metrics.
Originally published August 4, , updated Oct, 29 By Emily Hayward — August 31, By Emily Hayward — June 17, By Allan Wille — June 15, New benchmarks, trending metrics content, and tips and tricks to help you level up your analytics.
Products PowerMetrics Klips. KPI Examples. Dashboard Examples. Metric Stack Newsletter. Help Center. Contact Us. For categories that have an inherent sequence or relationship like time, risk levels, grade levels, or lead progression, make it easy for users by using the same hue for all items, but varying the saturation of the colour. Traffic light colours—red, green, and yellow—should be used sparingly. Major problems should be red and opportunities should be green so that they stand out on your dashboard.
Yellow typically represents a middle ground, so it may not have the same visual impact on a dashboard. Our advice is to steer clear of yellow! Establish and implement a limited set of consistent symbols on your dashboard to make for easy reading. I mentioned it earlier, but dashboards should be designed so that your most important information is in the upper left quadrant to match the way we intuitively read information.
This is a really great visual representation of a dashboard layout so the information is easy to read at a glance. Dashboards can be displayed on various devices, from mobile phones or tablets to online browsers or TV displays.
On that note, I thought it would be best to share the most common dashboard design mistakes to avoid so you can focus on what matters: getting the right information to the right people at the right time. Building a one-size-fits-all dashboard is a common design mistake. Because of the vast size and scope of a one-size-fits-all dashboard, they are typically abandoned or underused shortly after they are created. Create one dashboard for each role within your audience.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but the pay-off is worth it. One dashboard per role reduces the need for extensive filtering and segmentation to get to the data, and delivers the information into a single at-a-glance display. Comparison values on a dashboard add value for your users. Unless you are familiar with your data history or targets for sales, numbers on a dashboard without a comparison value may raise more questions than provide answers. Without an indicator, how are you supposed to know if those numbers are normal or cause for concern?
A guiding principle for comparison values is that it should be meaningful to users. Most comparison values fall into one of the following categories:. Not all data visualizations work on a dashboard. In the end, it depends on what data you want to display. Dashboards enable decision-makers to consume information quickly, right? Ask for feedback after they review the information on your dashboard. Topics: Dashboards. Originally published June 17, , updated Oct, 27 Another interactive element, crucial in dissecting data, is the click-to-filter option.
This feature enables users to utilize the dimensions of the charts and graphs within a dashboard as temporary filter values. In practice, that means that this filter will apply data to the whole dashboard just by clicking on a specific place of interest, like in the example below:. Looking at data over time is another crucial element to consider when designing a dashboard.
The time interval widget will enable you to do just that. It's a neat feature that allows you to enhance individual time scales on various charts, meaning you can easily look at your data across days, weeks, months, or years, as in the following example:. These elements are of utmost importance in dashboard design since they help to keep the dashboard unburdened of too many elements while the interactivity enables it to have all the data needed.
For more details and the complete scale of the top interactivity features, you can check our article on interactive dashboards. Animation options can be one of the dashboard elements that give an additional neat visual impression where you select the appearance of the specific element on the dashboard and assign an animation option.
The result is a simple, yet effective automated movement based on the desired speed slow, medium, or fast,e. Moreover, modern dashboard features include this option since it gives you an additional option to catch the attention of the viewer. In essence, each time you open a dashboard tab or refresh, the animation will trigger and start.
It is important to mention that although animations can bring added value to your dashboards, you should not overuse them. Remember what we spoke about in a previous point of this list, simplicity is key! One of the most subtle yet essential dashboard guidelines, this principle boils down to balance. White space — also referred to as negative space — is the area of blankness between elements featured on a dashboard design.
You should always double the margins surrounding the main elements of your dashboard to ensure each is framed with a balanced area of white space , making the information easier to absorb. Optimization for mobile or tablet is another critical point in the dashboard development process. By offering remote access to your most important insights, you can answer critical business questions on the go, without the need for a special office meeting.
Benefits such as swift decision-making and instant access ensure everyone can look at the data on the fly. Here it makes sense to keep in mind that the dashboard layout it's not the same as on the desktop.
A mobile dashboard has a smaller screen and, therefore, the placement of the elements will differ. Additionally, the level of analysis in comparison to the desktop version will not be as deep since this kind of dashboard needs to focus on the most critical visuals that fit the screen, oftentimes high-level. That said, you should focus on designing special mobile-dedicated dashboards as this is a user-friendly approach that will make the life of however uses the report way easier. To create such a design, we suggest you trim all the surplus that is not relevant and test across devices.
Additionally, keep in mind that the dashboard design process should also include the 'bigger fingers' element. Not everyone has smaller hands and buttons should be well optimized for all hands' shapes and sizes.
Moreover, and we can't stress this enough, keep only the most important metrics and information on the screen, so that they're easily scannable and immediately visible.
In the process of dashboard designing, you also need to think about exports. You can use the dashboard itself and share it, but if you plan on regularly using exports, you might want to consider optimizing towards printing bounds, fewer colors, and different types of line styles to make sure everything is readable even on a black-and-white printout.
Hence, when you plan your data dashboard design, you also need to look into the future uses and how to optimize towards different exporting options or simply share the dashboard itself with all its features and options. Additionally, by assigning viewer roles to users, you can specify the number of features you openly allow, including the number of filters, and all the bits and details of specific permissions.
That way, you have full control over your digital presentation and the amount of analysis you want to share. In this digital case, you don't need to take into account print, but it would certainly help if you ever want to create one. It might seem like an obvious point, but it is worth mentioning as it is one of the most important dashboard design trends. Graphical integrity basically refers to keeping the truth about the data. This means being objective about the values and not making them look a certain way that will benefit the analysis.
Just like with the data-ink ratio that we discussed above, this principle is also attributed to Edward Tufte. With this theory, Tufte mentioned a few principles that should be followed to ensure graphical integrity. The image below is an example from LinkedIn which shows exactly how ignoring this principle can affect the way others will perceive the data. The scale in this chart is completely misleading as the comparison between 10k and k is not visually accurate.
The graphic representation of your data should never help misinterpretation or lie, the data should speak by itself. This is only one of the 6 principles implemented by Tufte, we recommend you to look at them in detail as they are very useful to keep you objective in the design process.
Another critical point when considering your workflow for modern dashboard design is the opportunity to white label and embed the dashboard into your own application or intranet. With these options in mind, you can consider using your own company's logos, color styles, and overall brand visual identity elements and completely adjust the dashboard as it's your own product.
An embedded dashboard will look like your own product, as mentioned, but the point is that you don't need to invest in the development process at all, but simply take over a product, and use it as your own. Embedded business intelligence ensures that access to the analytical processes and data manipulation is completely done within their existing systems and applications. Many users prefer this option so when you consider what kind of dashboard features you want to implement in your design, embedding and white labeling are 2 more options you need to take into account.
Data visualization has evolved from simple static presentations to modern interactive software that takes visual perception to the next level. It also enabled average business users and advanced analysts to create stunning visuals that tell a clear data story to any potential audience profile, from beginners in a field to seasoned analysts and strategists. But positive development has also brought some negative side effects such as making mistakes that you can see in various media.
Online data visualization is not just about creating visuals for the sake of it, but it needs to be clear and communicated effectively. That said, avoid these common mistakes:.
Besides, you can also familiarize yourself with general design mistakes that you can avoid if you follow the rules of simplicity and color theory , no matter if you need to create an executive dashboard design or operational. Last but certainly not least in our collection of principles of effective dashboards — the ability to tweak and evolve your designs in response to the changes around you will ensure ongoing analytical success. When generating reports with a dashboard designer , asking for feedback is essential.
Asking for feedback regularly will ensure that both you and the customer or team are on the same page. As we mentioned many times, your audience is your number one consideration, and you need to know how to adjust the visuals to generate value.
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