I find that our executives often ignore the complex dashboards I build. I suspect I’m providing too much detail and not enough "at-a-glance" value. What are the current design trends for high-level Business Analytics dashboards? Should I be using specific color palettes for accessibility, or certain chart types like Bullet Graphs over Gauges? I really need to increase the "actionability" of my data visualizations so they stop asking me for Excel exports.
3 answers
Executives want the "So What?" within 5 seconds. Use the "Five-Second Rule" for dashboard design. The most important KPI should be in the top-left corner. Avoid "Chart Junk"—strip away unnecessary gridlines and borders. Use Bullet Graphs instead of Gauges because they take up less space and provide more context (like targets vs. actuals). Also, implement "Drill-Through" functionality. Give them a high-level summary, but allow them to click into a specific region or product if they see a red flag. This keeps the initial view clean but the data accessible.
Do you involve your executives in a "Wireframing" session before you start building, or do you just present the final version and hope for the best?
Use a "DAR" (Dashboard, Analysis, Report) approach. Top layer is for VPs, middle layer is for Managers, and the bottom is for the analysts who need the raw details.
The DAR methodology is a game-changer for large organizations. It ensures one source of truth while catering to different levels of data literacy. Posted By: Kevin Martinez | Date: 25-11-2024
Charles, I used to just "build and pray," but I’ve recently switched to using Figma for low-fidelity mockups. I sit down with the VP for 15 minutes and ask, "If you could only see three numbers on Monday morning, what would they be?" This prevents scope creep in the dashboard design. It also ensures the color coding matches their mental model—for example, making sure "Red" only means "Action Required" rather than just "Below Target." It has saved me weeks of rework.