Data is scary. It comes in many types and requires even more tools to manage, which can make finding the information you're looking for an intimidating prospect. Luckily, dashboards can help you get relevant data in a format that works for the people who need it most. This presentation will explore the core concepts behind good dashboard design and put you on the road to making sense of all that data out there. There are five steps you should follow to start building awesome dashboards: 1. Know your audience. 2. Ask the right questions. 3. Make insights actionable. 4. Emphasize what's important. 5. Group content logically. Let's explore.

1. 5 Steps to Get Started
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2. It comes in many types and requires
even more tools.
DASHBOARDS CAN HELP.

3. 1. Know your audience
2. Ask the right questions
3. Make insights actionable
4. Emphasize what’s important
5. Group content logically
Let’s explore.

4. See from Their Perspective
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5. you have to see from your audience’s perspective. This
means you first need to figure out who your audience is.

6. Too much clutter
A dashboard that’s confusing for everyone
OR WORSE
A dashboard that’s completely ineffective
in reaching user goals

7. Say you build a dashboard for a more vocal user who’s
concerned with operational efficiency, but the real main
user of the dashboard is the marketing manager…

8. A marketing manager needs to know where to focus their resources.
That means you need to give them metrics like conversion rates, sales
opportunities, or how much is spent on advertising. That way, you can
give them the tools to be successful.

9. Make sure you’re talking to the right
people to get the dashboard to
answer the right questions.

10. Find the Why
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11. - Stephen Few
Founde r, P e rc e ptual Edge

12. It’s very important to make sure you understand how
the audience is really going to be using your dashboard
in order to build it correctly.
This means asking follow-up questions.

13. Avoid too many unrelated questions
Tell a cohesive story
Fit all the pieces together
Always ask WHY

14. If your main user is a tech manager and they tell
you they’re looking to see how much of the budget
was spent in each department…

15. Most likely, they really want to know who spent the money and why, not
what department and how much. Ask them why they want the
information and what they hope to accomplish. If you figure out why
they want to ask the questions they’re asking, you’ll find the root desire
behind the question is really what you need to answer.

16. Search for the motivation behind
the initial questions you get.
Discover desires, not metrics.

17. Drive Real-World Results
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18. you also need to make sure people can act on the
answers they get. Lay the groundwork for this in step 2 by
constantly asking why instead of how. Keeping this focus
will get you to what actions should result from your
dashboard findings.

19. Continuing with our tech manager from step 2, we already know
we’ve uncovered the why behind their dashboard question…

20. Giving them the ability to know exactly who spent
money and why helps them know who to follow up
with and what to speak about to get the budget in
order. This is how you turn the original question
into an actionable insight.

21. Give dashboard users the power to
turn their data into plans and tasks.
Make a measurable impact.

22. Draw the Eye
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23. - Edward Tufte
P rof e s sor Eme ritus /S tatistic ian, Yale

24. Deciding what matters most is the next necessity for
effectively presenting your data. If the users care most
about comparing a budget number against an actual,
emphasize those numbers.

25. Placement
Color
Sizing
Important information should stand out
the minute someone sees the dashboard.

26. How can you decide what’s important? You can’t. Everything’s the same
size and color. This would be better if we put the important metrics
up top in a larger font or a different color.
Source: https://www.perceptualedge.com/blog/?p=54

27. The key metrics draw the eye first through bright colors, large size, and
position. Visual priority even extends to the charts: the most important
one is the largest and close to the top. It gives clear direction.
Source: http://www.responsivemiracle.com/collective/best-responsive-html5-admin-dashboard-panel-templates-2014/

28. Get people looking where they need to
before they have to think about what
they’re seeing.

29. Tell a Story
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30. you want the different pieces of content in your dashboard
to fit together in a way that makes sense. All the pieces
should be organized logically.

31. If your dashboard’s for a CEO, you’d add an executive
summary component to answer questions like:
Where have we been (past data)?
Where are we now (current data)?
Where are we going (forecast data)?

32. by department or by functional area, such as putting
finance data on one tab, pipeline data on another, and
operational data on a third.
If you mix departments on a single page, similar
departments should be grouped together physically.
Also make sure to use white space and symmetry.

33. Source: http://www.matillion.com/uploads/2015/01/good-dashboard-examples-2.jpg
This dashboard makes important
metrics visible in the top bar and with
callouts on the map.
It also clearly groups the results
shown by software, region, and dates
with great use of white space
between the different groupings.

34. Build a logical narrative for your
audience to follow.

35. Aimee Carvalho is one of Ironside’s foremost
advisors in the areas of design, visualization,
and dashboarding. Combining analytics know-
how with creativity and aesthetic sophistication,
she generates displays that unlock data for our
clients every day.

36. IronSense gives you the building blocks to create
actionable, intuitive, and beautiful dashboards
that put information where it’s needed most.
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