The document outlines four key steps for effective dashboard design: 1) Develop a clear plan with defined goals and purpose, 2) Understand the audience and their specific needs for actionable insights, 3) Choose the appropriate charts and visualization types for clarity, and 4) Maintain a focus on the overall picture by prioritizing key information and organization. These principles are aimed at creating dashboards that are user-friendly and support decision-making. Emphasis is placed on avoiding clutter and ensuring that insights are easily accessible.

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