The document provides tips and best practices for dashboard design. It discusses key aspects of effective dashboards such as using visual elements, focusing on key performance indicators (KPIs), providing context for KPIs, and fitting content on a single screen. The document also provides 10 tips for dashboard design and visualization including separating different metric types, selecting the most meaningful metrics, using comparisons to provide context, and choosing the right visualization for the data. Finally, it discusses criteria for selecting dashboard tools and compares features of tools from Business Objects, Cognos, MicroStrategy, and Tableau.

1. HOW TO MASTER THE ART
OF DASHBOARD DESIGN
APRIL 2013
@jenveese @brennertwit

2. About Merkle
• A customer relationship marketing agency
• Largest privately-held agency in the US
• 1,800 employees, including ~300 statisticians and analysts
• Manage 1.6+ petabytes of customer data
@jenveese @brennertwit 2

3. What we’ll cover today
Best
&ps
for
dashboards
and
visualiza&ons
Things
you
should
know
about
dashboards
@jenveese @brennertwit 3
Criteria
for
selec&ng
a
dashboard
tool
Dashboard
tools
compared

4. FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT DASHBOARDS
@jenveese @brennertwit

5. 5 Things you should know about
dashboards
• It’s not a dashboard unless it…
– Has strong visual elements
– Is focused on key performance indicators (KPIs)
• It’s not a good dashboard unless it…
– Provides context for the KPIs
– Fits on one screen or page
• Substance and style are equally important
• An automated dashboard is better than a perfect one
• Executive dashboards are highly visible, so a well-designed
one can boost your career
@jenveese @brennertwit 5

6. TEN BEST TIPS FOR DASHBOARD
DESIGN
@jenveese @brennertwit

7. 10 Best tips for dashboards &
visualizations
1. Separate KPIs,
diagnostic metrics
and smoke alarms
2. Select the most
meaningful metric
3. Provide context
by making
comparisons
4. Include insights,
not narration
5. Location, location,
location
6. Use size to show
relative importance
@jenveese @brennertwit 7
7. Select the right
visualization for
the job
8. Eliminate
distractions and
superfluous detail
9. Be deliberate
about axis values
10. Ensure your
labels are legible

8. Separate KPIs, diagnostic metrics and smoke
alarms
Key Performance
Indicator
A business outcome
or measure of success
Diagnostic Metric
A metric used to identify which
lever(s) will have the most
impact on the KPIs
Smoke Alarm
A metric that no one pays
attention to unless it suddenly
goes way up or way down
@jenveese @brennertwit 8
SUBSTANC
E
A metric is not a KPI
unless…
• It measures performance
against an objective
• Someone is accountable
for that performance
• There is context for whether
the value is good or bad
This is important because each type of metric
will be in a different place on the dashboard

9. Select the most meaningful metric
Create a new metric when you want to:
• Highlight the relationship between two metrics
(i.e. Visits per Visitor)
• Provide important context (i.e. Revenue per Visit)
• Normalize the data (i.e. Leads per Day)
@jenveese @brennertwit 9
SUBSTANC
E

10. Provide context by making comparisons
How does the metric compare to a target,
benchmark or previous time period?
How does the metric change over time?
Where does the item appear in a hierarchy?
How are two numbers related?
What are the constituent parts?
@jenveese @brennertwit 10
SUBSTANC
E
Where do the items fall across a range?

11. Include insights, not narration
Don’t just make observations based on the visualizations!
Add valuable insight by answering questions:
– Do you notice any trends?
– Are there any anomalies?
– Is anything different than
you would have expected?
– Why should I care? What
are the implications?
– What do you recommend
based on this data?
@jenveese @brennertwit 11
SUBSTANC
E

12. Location, location, location
@jenveese @brennertwit 12
Sample Dashboard Layout
LAYOUT

13. Location, location, location
• Place your KPIs at
the top
• Place your least
important
information in the
bottom right
Most important metrics
@jenveese @brennertwit 13
LAYOUT
Least important metrics

14. Location, location, location
• Place your KPIs at
the top
• Place your least
important
information in the
bottom right
• Group related
metrics together
Traffic-related Conversion -related
@jenveese @brennertwit 14
LAYOUT

15. Location, location, location
• Place your KPIs at
the top
• Place your least
important
information in the
bottom right
• Group related
metrics together
• Align to a grid
@jenveese @brennertwit 15
LAYOUT

16. Use size to show relative importance
• KPIs should use a larger font size than diagnostic
metrics or smoke alarms
• Similar graphs should be a similar size
• Font size should follow a hierarchy:
– Dashboard name
– Objectives or section titles
– Chart titles
– Axis values
– Chart subtitles
@jenveese @brennertwit 16
LAYOUT
Sample KPI Block

17. Select the right visualization for the job
@jenveese @brennertwit 17
BAR
Comparisons & Rankings
PIE
Composition
SCATTER
Distribution & Correlation
COLUMN
Comparisons
LINE
Trends
STACKED AREA
Alt to stacked column
VISUALIZATION
S

18. Eliminate distractions & superfluous detail
@jenveese @brennertwit 18
VISUALIZATION
S
• Colored backgrounds
• Garrish color (use a
neutral palette instead)
• Third dimension
• Excessive axis values
• Zeros and decimals
places
• Gap width (eg, columns
should be wider than the
space between them)
• Gridlines (usually)
• Don’t use decimal points
unless the difference is
statistically significant
• Don’t be afraid to create an
“other” category
• Don’t use stacked columns
unless composition is
important to know
• Don’t use a large graph
when a sparkline will do

19. A few tips about color…
• Things that are the same should be the same color
• Use a neutral color palette
• Use variations in saturation rather than
in color (light to dark)
• Don’t rely solely on stoplight colors
(red/yellow/green) to show bad/caution/good
• Don’t use stoplight colors unless you intend to send
a message about bad/caution/good
We use color to make our visualizations more meaningful,
not to make them pretty!
@jenveese @brennertwit 19

20. Be deliberate about axis values
• Set maximum value high enough that it won’t change
from period to period
– Guideline - 25% larger than your best guess at the highest
value over time
• Usually set minimum value at 0 to avoid giving the
appearance that the difference between values is more
significant than it really is
• Visualizations that will be compared
should have the same axis values
• Increment axis units by numbers
that people commonly count by
(2, 5, 10, 25, etc.)
@jenveese @brennertwit 20
VISUALIZATION
S

21. Ensure your labels can be read easily
• Don’t make them smaller than 8 pt (usually)
• Don’t rotate them at an angle
• Always use a sans serif font
• Select a font that is legible at a small size
• Increase legibility in a table
by reducing font size and
increasing row height
@jenveese @brennertwit 21
VISUALIZATION
S

22. Example #1
@jenveese @brennertwit 22
If the analyst
wanted to
compare
completion
rates by product
category, this is
the wrong
visualization.
A bar graph
would be more
effective.

23. Example #1
@jenveese @brennertwit 23
The values in a bar graph
should be sorted.
Now, clean it up and
duplicate for each step.

24. Example #1
@jenveese @brennertwit 24
Much better,
but wait…
How do you
compare overall
performance?

25. Example #1
If you want to compare overall
performance, use a measure of
overall performance.
@jenveese @brennertwit 25

26. Example #2
@jenveese @brennertwit 26
Let’s make this
time series data.
There’s still a lot
to change.
Better, but it
doesn’t help me
compare product
categories.

27. Example #2
@jenveese @brennertwit 27
To make
comparisons,
use a different
visualization.

28. SIX CRITERIA FOR SELECTING
A DASHBOARD TOOL
@jenveese @brennertwit

29. Six Tool Selection Criteria
No Data – No Dashboards
Design Before You Develop
Acknowledge Limitations
Who is Going to Use It?
Easy Access is Defined by the User
Great Dashboards are Continually Optimized
@jenveese @brennertwit
29

30. No Data – No Dashboards
Data Sources
• Where is your data coming from?
Data Volume
• How much data do you have and when does it arrive?
Automation
• What tools integrate with your automation strategy?
@jenveese @brennertwit
30

31. Design Before You Develop
@jenveese @brennertwit
31
Dashboard Speed
Research methods to make
tools run faster.
Graphic Arts
Find someone with a detailed
eye to help you out.
Tools cannot improve design.
Budget
Identify what tool components
you need and what they cost.

32. Acknowledge Limitations
Honestly inventory and review your constraints.
@jenveese @brennertwit
32
Skill Set
• What tools constrain your creativity?
IT Architecture
• What company tool standards are negotiable?
Don’t guess: Try before you buy

33. Who Is Going to Use It?
@jenveese @brennertwit
33
Executive Support
Daily Meetings
Quarterly Sessions
Operational Decisions
Tactical Planning
Global Reach
Which Tools Support
Multiple Languages?
What Cultural Aspects
Must You Respect?
Aspiring Executives
They May Actually
Use It the Most

34. Easy Access is Defined by the User
@jenveese @brennertwit
34
List
of
Users
Tool Use
Mac PC
Phone
Tablet
Email Alerts
NON -Tool Use
Printed Copies
Executive Summaries
Security:
Who Can See it?
How do they login?

35. Great Dashboards are Continually
Optimized
What might be
coming next?
@jenveese @brennertwit
35
Idea
Design
Create
Discuss
How are ideas
prioritized?
Who will
enhance the
dashboards?
Who will
validate the
changes?

36. List Your Secrets to Success
@jenveese @brennertwit
36
Element Item Tool A Tool B Tool C
Data
Teradata Link
Real Time
Frequency
Design List of Design
Elements
Creation &
Enhancements
Non-Technical
Authors
Access
LDAP Security
PC & Mac
Mobile
Online
Email Alerts

37. Find Your Best Match for Your Unique Needs
@jenveese @brennertwit
37
Element Item Tool A Tool B Tool C
Data
Teradata Link ●
●
○
Real Time
Frequency ◑
◕
◕
Design List of Design
Elements ◑
●
●
Creation &
Enhancements
Non-Technical
Authors ●
●
◕
Access
LDAP Security ◔
●
●
PC & Mac ●
●
●
Mobile ◑
◔
●
Online ●
●
●
Email Alerts ◕
●
◕

38. Often, What You Already Have
Use What’s Available
Knowledgeable Authors
Established Training
Use What’s Familiar
Executives may already be
used to something.
IT Coordination
Already Approved
Likely Low Costs
It is OK to select something different.
It is all about the User Experience.
@jenveese @brennertwit 38

39. FOUR DASHBOARD TOOLS
COMPARED
@jenveese @brennertwit

40. Everyone has an Opinion
• Some are formal:
– Gartner Quadrant
• Some are informal:
– Someone is updating their BI blog
right now.
• The market constantly
changes
– New Versions
– New Products
– New Companies
@jenveese @brennertwit
40

41. 4 Dashboard Tools Compared
@jenveese @brennertwit
41
Our Business Intelligence analysts have the luxury of working
with multiple tools. Here’s what we think for Executive
Dashboards:
Actual Example
For a specific
project

42. Business Objects
@jenveese @brennertwit
42
Well Established
Owned by SAP
Security
Multiple Options
Enterprise Tool
Strong IT Integration
Dashboards
Strong Ad-hoc
Environment
Access
Multiple Options
Visualization
Traditional Options

43. Cognos
@jenveese @brennertwit
43
Well Established
Owned by IBM
Security
Multiple Options
Enterprise Tool
Tight Integration with
Unica & SPSS
Dashboards
Strong Ad-hoc
Environment
Access
Multiple Options
Visualization
Traditional Options

44. MicroStrategy
@jenveese @brennertwit
44
Well Established
One of the first true
BI companies
Security
Multiple Options
Enterprise Tool
Strong IT Integration
Dashboards
Excellent
Performance
Access
Multiple Options
Visualization
Moderate Options

45. Tableau
@jenveese @brennertwit
45
Emerging
Pre-IPO Company
Security
Transparent
Personal Tool
Dashboards for all
Dashboards
Strong Components
Access
Limited Options
Visualization
Expansive Options

46. It’s All About Balance
It is critical to balance substance, style, and tool choice.
@jenveese @brennertwit
46
The quality of your dashboards speaks
directly to your credibility as an analyst.

47. JENNIFER VEESENMEYER
Vice President, Digital
Analytics
443.542.4611
612.356.4191 (cell)
@jenveese
jveesenmeyer@merkleinc.com
@jenveese @brennertwit 47
CARL BRENNER
Director, Business
Intelligence
208.597.3991 (cell)
@brennertwit
cbrenner@merkleinc.com