3 Tips to Create Impactful Data Dashboards

One of My Favourite Topics in Data

Creating an effective dashboard is a foundational task for data people. This doesn't require a design background but one should have an understanding of how to make it impactful. Whether you're a novice or revisiting an existing dashboard, I hope these tips will hep you create the next best dashboard in your company.

What should a dashboard do?

Optimal dashboards are purpose-driven and resonate with the target audience. What message is the dashboard intended to convey? Does it highlight a final conclusion or posing an essential inquiry?

Understanding the message that is being conveyed is vital, but equally crucial is recognizing the audience. Is your audience aware of the topic you’re presenting, or is it a fresh subject for them? What expectations do they have ?

Pondering these considerations before delving into the design aids in crafting a more impactful dashboard. Here’s a few examples of dashboards that are crafted well with Metabase.

Effective Design Tips

1.Contextual Data: Target Numbers or Historical Growth

The presentation of raw numbers on a dashboard without context can lead to misinterpretation or oversight of key insights. Symbols like the "%" sign or target numbers play a crucial role in this context. For instance, displaying a figure as "50%" instead of just "0.5" immediately conveys a sense of proportion. Similarly, juxtaposing a current sales figure with a target number offers clarity on performance relative to set objectives.

To enhance the comprehensibility of numbers on a dashboard, the following methods can be employed to provide context:

• Progress Bars: Visually represent how close a number is to its target.

• Color-Coded Thresholds: Use different colors to signify if a metric is above, below, or on target.

• Comparative Figures: Display the previous month's or year's numbers alongside current metrics for direct comparison.

• Visual Indicators: Icons or symbols that denote whether a metric has increased, decreased, or remained stable.

2.Annotations for Major Peaks, Troughs and Outliers

In data visualization dashboards, the significance of peaks, troughs, and outliers cannot be overstated. These data points often represent anomalies or significant events that can offer deep insights into the metrics your audience is looking at.

Annotations are a bridge that connect data points with the context or reasons behind their occurrence. By annotating major peaks and troughs, one can provide a clear narrative to the audience and provide clarity on the outliers.

To effectively use annotations for significant data points on a dashboard, here’s a couple tips:

• Linked Events: Correlate peaks or troughs with real-world events, highlighting causality or correlation.

• Directional Arrows: Point to the exact data point being annotated for clarity.

• Short Descriptions: Concisely explain the reason behind an anomaly.

• Date Markers: Especially for time series data, marking the date of an event can provide context to a peak or trough.

3.Consistency with Font, Color, Size, Graphs

A harmonious design can propagate quicker interpretation of data, and establish a professional look and feel. Maintaining consistency in design elements such as font, color, size, and graphs is crucial for creating an effective and user-friendly dashboard.

Consistency ensures that your viewer's attention is directed towards the data and its insights rather than getting distracted by varying design elements. It also aids in reducing cognitive load on the viewer, allowing them to process information efficiently without unnecessary distractions.

Here’s a few strategies for ensuring consistency across your dashboard:

• Style Guide: Develop a style guide that defines the specific fonts, colors, and sizes to be used. Times New Roman and Arial being a few fonts, easy to configure across most industry software.

• Unified Color Palette: Stick to a defined set of colors that align with your brand or purpose. Reserve colors like red, orange for alerts or emphasis.

• Standardized Graph Types: If you're presenting similar kinds of data in multiple sections, use the same type of graph to represent them.

• Font Hierarchies: Designate specific font sizes and weights for headings, subheadings, and body text.

Thanks for reading 😃