Everyone Wants a Dashboard
Everyone wants a dashboard but how do you ensure your dashboard is effective and is able to the serve the business now and into the future
Beyond the hype, dashboards present a unique and effective way to deliver information, but only if they are designed with effective communication as the number one priority.
Dashboards generally don't fail because of the software. They fail because people don't apply good design principles and practices. It is easy to blame the software. There is a long list of reasons why dashboards fail and many books written about this topic.
A fundamental challenge with dashboard design is fitting a large amount of data into a small space. This alone can be the single biggest challenge you will face.
There are many great ideas and principles on how to develop dashboards that effectively communicate information. One approach I like and one that we use at dapresy is Purpose, Impact, Persons. What is the business purpose for the dashboard? What impact do you want it to have on the business? Who are the persons that need to access the information and what should they do with it?
Alexander Skorka dapresy's Chief Evangelist and Managing Director DACH-Region says when designing a dashboard consider the following questions. Have you decided on the right KPI's? Is the data designed so it is easy to understand? Are you following a call to action approach? Is the dashboard designed to gain insight? And is the dashboard encouraging users to take action?
In summary, to create and implement a sustainable dashboard you need good design principles and practices.
Director at MRDC Software
6yDashboards have their place - and it can be an important one. They don't replace in depth research but they do (or should) make it easier to explore data. The use of that data will vary. If it is to perform a function, the appearance isn't important but the content is important, particularly if the dashboard is used regularly. If it is to explore data or it is used by wide range of users, it should be intuitive. The biggest growth in our dashboard development work is in pulling data together from different sources - for example, research data alongside other business metrics. This provides not only convenience but the ability to see valuable bits of data side by side - something our brains don't generally do well when the information is scattered around in different systems or reports.
Head of Digital at Simpson Carpenter
6yOr ... Pick the data points that matter... In that none do .. a dashboard creates a snapshot of information. Act in a moment and take your time to regret decisions made in haste. Add insight to that data .... Why was yes 80% and you have an actionable finding. Sorry Beth but the reason is far more compelling than the what .. just my opinion
...not to mention engaging, intuitive, in context to your business process and actionable. As we get more and more data in our lives, it will be critical to male it easier to consume, or better, only get it when we need it. Ask us how. We can meet in Melbourne.