Introduction

Over the years, organizations have been looking for specific tools that can help them know whether their business is running at the right pace and in the right direction. A Dashboard is an information management tool which is used to track metrics, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and several other data elements which are essential for an organization or one of its departments. According to the Intelligent Enterprise Magazine:

"A dashboard is a visual display of 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.”

The term ‘dashboard’ originates from automobile dashboards where driver tracks the significant functions at a glance based on the summarized information. A dashboard is also referred to as “progress reports” or “reports.” For business intelligence experts, dashboards are used to visualize data, making it more accessible and comprehensive.

 In a bid to make data more accessible to read, dashboards make use of different visual tools and arrange the data in different ways.  However, not all dashboards are created equally. Color, shading, the use of white space and animated graphics can provide significant benefits by enabling individuals to grasp the information presented in a dashboard quickly. This fundamental shift in technology has changed the way data is collected. Dashboards are fundamentals are they provide a remedy for companies who store thousands of terabytes of useless data.

To build effective and strategic dashboards, several things must be considered concerning flexibility, target audience, simplicity, information and so on. For instance, an effective dashboard should be flexible. That is, when building a dashboard, make sure the larger picture is taken into consideration and the dashboard is flexible enough to add/delete sources of data, change the settings and data amount can be increased with time.

 At this juncture, it is important to note that there are different types of business dashboards used by business organizations:

• STRATEGIC/EXECUTIVE DASHBOARDS

  These are those dashboards that offer the KPIs that are tracked by the executive team of your organization on a regular basis. This dashboard will provide a top-level overview of the condition or status of the business along with the opportunities offered to it.

• OPERATIONAL DASHBOARDS

  As the name suggests, operational dashboards display data or information that helps analyze or view the operational part of the business. This kind of a dashboard enables you to monitor the pulse of the operations and offer real-time data.

• TACTICAL DASHBOARDS

  Tactical or analytic dashboards are capable of displaying both operational and strategic data. These enable you to view more data and get more insights in parallel. However, this functionality may not be required by all kinds of businesses.

1. Understanding your audience

This is one of the most important things to consider. Who is going to be looking at the dashboard you are building? CEOs? Marketing team? It is essential to understand the audience you are creating the dashboard for, as this would determine the effectiveness of a dashboard. Understanding your audience also gives you areas to place focus on and what business intelligence tool you should use.

In an interview with Daniel Mintz, Looker’s Chief Data Evangelist, he mentioned that most dashboard users can fall under three categories:;

• The Data Developer.
• The Analytically Minded
• The Business Executive

The data developer is one that has in-depth knowledge of databases and can answer queries within the database and make use of dashboards to efficiently and effectively outsource their knowledge. The data developers are the smallest group of dashboard users. The analytical minded do not have deep knowledge of databases to answer the questions they have. They typically hold positions like product marketing, finance or corporations and effectively use the dashboards to answers their questions.

Furthermore, the business executive such as a company’s CEO makes use of dashboards to evaluate a company’s performance and progress, thereby reducing the time needed to generate and distribute reports. They are the largest group of dashboard users.

2. Straight to the Point

A dashboard is one single screen made up with the most important indicators. Therefore, a dashboard should not show all the data points. A dashboard should only cover essential information. It should be the selection of the most relevant indicators to your business. Business dashboards are often very cluttered, but this can create confusion in the mind of those looking at the dashboards. It is, for this reason, is important to carefully select what metrics you wish to add so that only relevant data or information is displayed. A useful metric is typically a direct measure of success.

There is no hard and fast rule as to which metrics you must select as every business may have different requirements and needs. To decide which metrics must be included, you can consider the following given factors:

• Is the metric necessary? – The first question that you may need to ask is whether the metric is even required or not.
• How does the metric contribute to your objective? – You may also need to analyze the way in which the metric is contributing to your overall objective or goal.
• Do you have data to throw light on this objective? – You have to test whether you can gain the relevant data to assess those metrics.

  In essence, the underlying success of a dashboard depends on identifying what data to include in the display to ensure maximum effectiveness.

3. Pay attention to its visual appeal/ Layout and styling Dashboards

You must make sure that the overall attractiveness of the dashboard is good enough for you and other business executes to use it. A well-designed dashboard is one which has a pleasing look and is high in terms of usability.

4. Pay attention to the needs of your Audience

Creating a single dashboard to meet the needs and suitability of the entire organization can be very difficult but is equally important. As earlier alluded above, the most significant factor is knowing the user who would be acting upon the data displayed on the dashboard. Therefore, it is important to note that that data visualization is intended to be more than mere eye candy, they should serve a specific purpose and convey particular facts more adequately. While the development process of the dashboard is going on, it is paramount that you keep in mind the entire audience and try to address the needs of each one of the users. From marketing executives to sales representatives and from partners to customers, every individual must be able to operate it and should be able to meet their objectives.

A great dashboard is one which can be understood by every employee of your team. The visualization tools must be used in such a way that the gist of the data can be evaluated in a matter of seconds. Simplicity is the key to creating a user-friendly dashboard.

5. Flexibility

As a business owner or member of the marketing team, you must understand the business and its needs. An effective dashboard should be created in a way that it can be changed or updated according to the business requirements. Therefore, when building a dashboard, the larger picture has to be taken into consideration to make the dashboard flexible enough to add/delete sources of data, change the settings and data amount can be increased with time.

6. Avoid Crowded Charts

There is a common saying, less is more. Some dashboards designers feel the need to import as many details as possible into their dashboards on a quest to create a bigger picture. While this attempt might be logical, it only sounds good in theory. According to studies on cognitive psychology, the human brain can comprehend around seven items at a time. This is the number of items you should consider having on your dashboard.

Also, you can avoid visual clutter by layering the data by using filters and hierarchies (e.g., instead of having one indicator for amount of sales in North America and one for South America, give the user the option to apply a filter which changes the same indicator between one and the other) or simply by breaking your dashboard into two or more separate dashboards.

7. Smooth and simple presentation

When building a dashboard, you should focus on simplicity. Poorly designed dashboards gather a vast amount of data on one screen preventing clear understanding and slowing down decision making. The one-size-fits-all approach does not work for dashboards. It is important to always bear in mind that reduced complexity provides clarity.

In a modern era overwhelmed with data, clear provision of information has proved to be a heinous task. It is for this reason, only the most relevant data should be presented on the dashboard as the more information displayed, the more difficult it is for users to find what they need.

8. Choosing the right visuals to depict your Data

 With varieties of depictions to choose from, the user-friendliness of your dashboard will depend on selecting the right types of charts to correctly and effectively display your data. For instance, if the information you are tracking changes from time to time, it is better to use a line chart. Also, if you intend to display a straightforward comparison of items in similar categories, you could consider using a bar chart.

 However, when choosing, the right visuals, a few things should further be considered. For instance, data grouping should be done in a logical manner that is according to the departments (marketing, finance, accounts, sales and so on). Thus, it is essential to place data logically and in proper categories. Another part of the overall visualization that you can consider is the kind of colors used, the shapes used as well as the type of lines and thickness chosen for different elements. Many tools can help you control these visual attributes but make it a point to avoid using cute widgets and 3D graphics to keep the dashboard subtle.

 The overall design of your dashboard must be compelling and captivating enough to enable your employees to work on it with ease and without getting bored. The design includes not only the visual appeal but also its functionality. The dashboard is a useful data discovery tool that must create a natural flow of spotting relevant information.

9. Making your data easy to read and more familiar

 A good dashboard should be easy to read, and it should be usable even to those with color blindness. Therefore, it would help if you avoid an absurd combination of colors as well as too many bright colors. A well-designed dashboard is one which is pleasing to look at and high in terms of usability. Consider design elements that could make your dashboard effective and easy to use. Balance, symmetry, contrast, and organization can all impact the user experience of your dashboard.

10. Concise and responsive

A writer once opined that “great dashboards provide everything one click away”. Information presented on dashboards should be immediately accessible.

CONCLUSION

Dashboards are a powerful way to communicate data and other information, especially with a user-centered, goal-centric design that follows dashboard design best practices and proper data visualization. Every dashboard is different and possesses its own goals, requirements as well as limitations. These fundamental principles would serve as a guide in creating effective dashboards.