Relying on Lillian Pierson’s Data Science for Dummies, the ZingChart team has assembled 4 easy steps to designing better dashboards. Check out the tips with real world examples and click through to a live interactive demo using ZingChart's JavaScript charting library.

1. 4 Steps to Better
Dashboard Design

2. Steps inspired by:
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design2
● Data Science for Dummies
● By Lillian Pierson
● Chapter on data dashboards

3. Dashboard design is best kept simple
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design3
https://www.flickr.com/photos/7960563@N07/6964596021/
Georg Sander

4. Step 1: Have a plan.
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design4
● Do you believe dashboards are simply a collection
of charts?
● Do you think fussing over dashboard design is a
waste of time?

5. You probably haven’t encountered a dashboard
lacking design forethought!
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design5

6. 4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design6
“Bad design is usually the
direct result of poorly
scoped purpose.”
-Lillian Pierson-

7. Step 1: Have a plan.
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design7
• A dashboard, like a recipe, should have an end goal
defined at the start.
• It should have specific purpose for a specific
audience.
How do you set these goals and purposes?

8. Step 2: Know Your Audience
And Their Needs
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design8
1. Who is your audience?
Example: Emma, a small business owner who sells cat toys.
2. What does the audience need to know?
She needs to see key performance indicators (KPIs) for each part of
her business.

9. 4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design9
“If the insights aren’t actionable,
your target audience won’t
adopt the dashboard a
decision-support instrument.”
-Lillian Pierson-

10. Step 2: Know Your Audience
And Their Needs
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design10
Actionable insight suggestions:
• Marketing
• Website traffic
• Top traffic sources
• Sales
• Sales by region
• Conversion rate
• Top sellers
• Accounting
• Revenue vs. expenses
• Product margins

11. Step 3: Choose the Right Charts
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design11
• Selecting chart types is the next important step.
• You don’t need to use solely bar charts.
http://findaccountingsoftware.com/expert-advice/7-alternatives-to-the-
bar-graph-and-when-to-use-them-in-bi-reporting/
• You don’t need to use traditional charts

12. Step 3: Choose the Right Charts
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design12
• Sometimes the best way to visualize data is a table
or list.
• In the case of Emma, the top traffic sources are
easiest to read in a table or grid.

13. 4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design13
“Graphs are useful when
a picture of the data makes
meaningful relationships visible
(patterns, trends, and exceptions)
that could not be easily discerned
from a table of the same data.”
-Stephen Few-

14. Step 3: Choose the Right Charts
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design14
• The dashboard and individual charts should flow.
• In the example of Emma, bullet graphs visualize
conversion and cart abandonment rates.
• Quickly ID if a particular stat is a positive or negative
outlier, e.g. in the “danger zone”.

15. Step 3: Choose the Right Charts
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design15
• Charts can make decisions easier
• Example: Ring chart with drill down interactive
feature
• Allows the user to drill down and learn more about
other successful products

16. Step 4: Keep the Big Picture in Mind
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design16
• Use key annotations but don’t overwhelm
• Use only the most important information
• Use plenty of whitespace to allow for focus
• Rows help for flow and organization

17. Step 4: Keep the Big Picture in Mind
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design17
Visit http://www.zingchart.com/demos/ecommerce-dashboard/
to access the fully interactive demo

18. Additional Dashboard Information
4 Steps to Better Dashboard Design18
Read More
http://www.zingchart.com/blog/2015/07/16/
4-steps-to-better-dashboard-design/
Try out a dashboard with your data
http://www.zingchart.com/try