Modern self-service BI tools offer even inexperienced users the opportunity to create a dashboard quickly and easily. Data can be visualized with the help of appealing elements in just a few simple steps.
Speedometers, traffic lights, bar charts and more are quickly crammed into a small space and show all kinds of key figures. But as with the design of presentations, less is more. If a few basic rules are followed, the result is a dashboard that is not only aesthetically pleasing to look at, but also provides real added value.
Each key figure must be documented with actions
Not everything that can be measured and displayed should be shown on a dashboard. For each element displayed, it must be clear which range is normal and when it is exceeded. Above all, it must be clear what action must be taken if the key figure is outside the normal range.
Example: the distribution of the marketing budget per country is only a good key figure if a target distribution has been defined beforehand and it is clear who has to act and how in the event of a deviation. Otherwise, the key figure is nice, but useless.
Show how up-to-date the data is
If it is not known what status is being presented, the informative value of a dashboard is limited. After all, it should primarily be used to derive actions. With outdated data, actions will always come too late.
Use the appropriate visualizations
This principle is often violated. Due to the wide variety of display formats and users' willingness to experiment, completely overloaded dashboards quickly emerge. It is worth considering in advance what type of key figure is involved. For example, if it is a single figure that should be within a range, a speedometer is actually a suitable element. In this case, a bar chart would be less meaningful and harder to grasp. If the focus is on the progression of a key figure over time, forms such as line or bar charts are more suitable.
Know your target group
This applies not only to dashboards, but to presentations in general. It must be clear in advance whether the recipient only wants to see a high-level status or specific details. If in doubt, a separate dashboard is created for different target groups.
Keep the dashboard simple
In many of the current self-service BI tools, such as Microsoft PowerBI there is an enormous number of components that can be used to display key figures. Often, many components are equally suitable for a key figure. In this case, there is nothing wrong with sticking to the simpler forms of presentation and avoiding effects wherever possible. This only distracts from the actual information. For example, a 3D effect is not required to display a bar chart.
