Dashboard Designing
Metrics Dashboard Design
Designing Effective Metrics Management Dashboards
Designers of metrics management dashboards need to incorporate three areas of knowledge and expertise when building dashboards. They must understand the dashboard users’ needs and expectations both for metrics and for the presentation of those metrics; they must understand where and how to get the data for these metrics; and they must apply uniform standards to the design of dashboards and dashboard suites in order to make them ‘intuitive’ for the end-users. This paper outlines dashboard design best practices and design tips, and will help dashboard designers ensure that their projects meet with end-user approval. It concludes with a checklist of design considerations for dashboard usability
Metrics Dashboard Design
2
Increasing User Adoption of Metrics Dashboards
Users turn to metrics management solutions to find out what is going on with the business in order to make informed, reasoned decisions.
Probably the most common reason dashboards remain under-used is that the dashboard designer did not understand the endusers’ needs
Good metrics management dashboards show key performance indicators (KPIs) in context so that they are meaningful, and present them in a way that allows users to instantly understand the significance of the information. This presentation lets users quickly evaluate choices and make decisions with full confidence that these decisions are supported by facts. Dashboards are neither detailed reports nor exhaustive views of all data. Good metrics management solutions can offer users the option to ‘drill-down’ to as much detail as they require, or even link into reporting systems, but these are only ancillary functions. The primary function of metrics management dashboards is to support—even induce—pro-active decision-making.
Know the End Users
Users want dashboards that respond to their business requirements.
There is no substitute for understanding
Designing Effective Metrics Management Dashboards
Designers of metrics management dashboards need to incorporate three areas of knowledge and expertise when building dashboards. They must understand the dashboard users’ needs and expectations both for metrics and for the presentation of those metrics; they must understand where and how to get the data for these metrics; and they must apply uniform standards to the design of dashboards and dashboard suites in order to make them ‘intuitive’ for the end-users. This paper outlines dashboard design best practices and design tips, and will help dashboard designers ensure that their projects meet with end-user approval. It concludes with a checklist of design considerations for dashboard usability
Metrics Dashboard Design
2
Increasing User Adoption of Metrics Dashboards
Users turn to metrics management solutions to find out what is going on with the business in order to make informed, reasoned decisions.
Probably the most common reason dashboards remain under-used is that the dashboard designer did not understand the endusers’ needs
Good metrics management dashboards show key performance indicators (KPIs) in context so that they are meaningful, and present them in a way that allows users to instantly understand the significance of the information. This presentation lets users quickly evaluate choices and make decisions with full confidence that these decisions are supported by facts. Dashboards are neither detailed reports nor exhaustive views of all data. Good metrics management solutions can offer users the option to ‘drill-down’ to as much detail as they require, or even link into reporting systems, but these are only ancillary functions. The primary function of metrics management dashboards is to support—even induce—pro-active decision-making.
Know the End Users
Users want dashboards that respond to their business requirements.
There is no substitute for understanding