Dashboard Design: Best Practices in UX Design

Are you drowning in a sea of data?

Dashboards can help you regain control. Take airplane pilots as an example: their dashboard is a crucial tool. It displays real-time key performance indicators (KPIs) such as speed, direction, wind strength, and more. It alerts the pilot on necessary actions and displays critical information. The ergonomics of this tool are vital for flight safety.

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Are you drowning in a sea of data? Dashboards can help you regain control. Take airplane pilots as an example: their dashboard is a crucial tool. It displays real-time key performance indicators (KPIs) such as speed, direction, wind strength, and more. It alerts the pilot on necessary actions and displays critical information. The ergonomics of this tool are vital for flight safety.

This concept, derived from aviation, has revolutionized the world of Business Intelligence. More and more companies are using dashboards to optimize their operations. A dashboard provides an overview of KPIs, making it a powerful tool for quickly communicating important information.

A simple table with lots of data can be difficult to interpret. It shows raw facts without summarizing them. By transforming this data into visualizations, we achieve a better result that allows the user to:

• Grasp key information

• Make effective decisions

• Easily access trends and results

• Memorize information more easily‍

‍However, a poorly designed dashboard can fail. If it doesn't meet user needs, it will be ignored. Here are some principles to apply when designing a dashboard.

Define the Purpose of Your Dashboard

The first rule in design is to understand what your dashboard needs to communicate. To do this, you must identify the users' needs. For example, does the user need to interact with the data to dig deeper, or do they just want a monthly summary?

It's also important to understand the different types of dashboards:

• Strategic Dashboards: Help make strategic decisions and identify opportunities. They display performance and trend data, often on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis. They provide an overview and are accessible to everyone.
  

• Analytical Dashboards: Display more complex information over long periods. They allow comparing data and interacting with it. They are often used by business analysts.
  

• Operational Dashboards: Monitor real-time information, changing processes, and errors. They enable the user to act quickly.
  

Design Criteria for a Good Dashboard

• Ergonomics and Visual Efficiency: A dashboard should offer a good user experience. It must meet their needs and allow them to complete tasks easily. To achieve this:

  • Group related information (proximity law).

  • Ensure consistency in actions and display.

  • Keep it simple and avoid overloading the screen.

  • Choose the right colors.

  • Conduct user tests to identify issues.
    

• Simple Information Display: The goal is to view important information at a glance. Avoid overloading the dashboard with unnecessary details.
  

• Choosing the Right Data Representation: Use bar charts, line graphs, scatter plots, tables, or pie charts depending on the type of data and the goal.

Conclusion

To maximize the use of a dashboard, understand user needs and apply best design practices. Information should be clear and allow easy identification of trends. A good dashboard helps users make better data-driven decisions.