This document outlines five steps for creating visually persuasive dashboards: 1. Identify key metrics that are imperative to the dashboard's goals. 2. Develop a layout that guides users through the data by grouping related metrics and placing important ones in prominent areas. 3. Provide comparisons and trends for all key performance indicators to give context to the metrics. 4. Design charts and visualizations that are easy to interpret while removing non-essential embellishments. 5. Drive user engagement by allowing interactive exploration of the data through filters and the ability to drill down into details.

1. steps
to a visually
persuasive
dashboard
Beyond
Excel:

2. Many professionals use Excel to store data that
they want to visualize and turn into dashboards.
The trouble is, creating a visually persuasive
dashboard isn’t always simple.
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3. Many Excel dashboards
cause more problems
than they solve by adding
unnecessary complexity.
You end up spending more
time trying to understand
what’s in front of you
instead of learning
answers to questions.
Many charts also lack
interactivity which limits
the ability to explore
data and uncover
meaningful insights.

4. What if you could
turn this around and start creating
dashboards?
visually persuasive

5. • Communicate the most important
information about a given subject
and draw attention to problem areas
• Convey your findings rapidly with all
the information at your fingertips
• Engage users with interactive
charts and graphs
Visually persuasive dashboards aren’t just
about making beautiful charts and graphs.
They enable you to…
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6. Here are five steps for creating
visually persuasive dashboards:
2. Develop a layout that
guides users through the data
1. Identify
key metrics
3. Provide a
comparison for all KPIs
4. Design the dashboard
to maximize comprehension
5. Drive
engagement
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7. 1. Identify key metrics

8. This is a classic case of less is more.
Go beyond identifying whether a metric
is relevant to your dashboard and instead
ask yourself, “is this data point imperative
to this dashboard?” If not, leave it out.
Establish a common ground by using
metrics that users immediately recognize
such as capital expenditure, change in
sales, or time to hire.
Pull metrics from credible sources
to help you gain buy-in.

9. 2. Develop a layout that
guides users through
the data

10. Try to anticipate users’ questions
and organize metrics accordingly
so that your dashboard is ready
to deliver answers. Group related
metrics together to show how they
form the big picture.
Users generally tend to look at
content on the top and left sides of
a page or screen first. Place
the most important metrics in
these areas.
Consider a grid layout. It lets you
space metrics evenly across the
dashboard to maintain
visual cohesion.

11. 3. Provide a comparison for all KPIs

12. Absolute measures don’t give context,
which reduces users’ ability to understand
and act on the data. Instead, include
comparisons and trends to show how
the company is progressing toward its
goals.
For instance, if 500 prospects visited
your booth on the first day of an industry
conference, so what? Show how this
compares to the traffic on the other
days of the show and to that of last
year’s show.
Highlight metrics that are
moving in the wrong direction
in order to focuses users on the
areas that need attention.

13. 4. Design the dashboard to
maximize comprehension

14. Use charts that are user-friendly
and easy to interpret, such as bar
and line graphs. Avoid charts that
require users to spend extra time
comprehending the data.
Every pixel matters. Eliminate fancy
shading, outlines, and icons when
creating charts (also known as
“chart junk.”) It detracts from the
impact of the data.
Use color to add meaning. For
instance, use similar hues for
objects that are related to one
another. Use red or orange to
alert users to a critical point.

15. 5. Drive engagement

16. Consider how users would want to
interact with the data. Star and
snowflake schemas work well for
allowing users to configure their
view of the data.
Invite users to explore the data
more deeply. Include filters that allow
users to view the data in a variety of
ways. Provide ways to drill into data,
such as through separate pages or
windows of analysis.
Give users action items based on the
results they just viewed. For instance,
you can recommend next steps,
revised business goals, or a person to
contact to learn more information.

17. Now that you know our secrets to creating
stunning dashboards, make sure it passes
the visual persuasion test:
• It answers users’ primary and secondary questions
• Users are able to explore the data freely
• Someone with a fresh perspective immediately
understands the dashboard

18. Check out the 5 Visualizations Pitfalls (and How to
Avoid Them) e-book to learn visualization tips and tricks
Visit the data visualizations area on the Qlik Blog to
learn best practices for how to best present your data
Ready to learn more?

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