What is a Dashboard and what are the important things we should keep in mind while creating a dashboard?

Dashboard is a technique used to present important information through graphical representation. It is helpful in presenting huge data in a single computer screen so it can be monitored with a glance

There are few things which should be taken care of, while preparing the dashboards:

1)    Minimum distraction

2)    Simple, easy to communicate

3)    Important data

4)    Few Colors

5)    Relevant graphs

6)    Dashboard should be on single computer screen

Rule 1 - Who are you trying to impress?

Think about the audience for the dashboard. The most effective dashboards target a single type of user and just display data specific to that ‘use case’.

Rule 2 - Select the right type of dashboard

There are 3 common types of dashboard, each performing a specific purpose.

The types of dashboard are:

Operational

Strategic / Executive

Analytical

Operational Dashboards

These dashboards display data that facilitate the operational side of a business. Think of an operational dashboard as monitoring the nerve center of your operation. Operational dashboards often require real-time or near real-time data

Strategic / Executive Dashboards

Strategic dashboards will typically provide the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that a company’s executive team track on a periodic (daily, weekly or monthly basis). A strategic dashboard should provide the executive team with a high-level overview of the state of the business together with the opportunities the business faces.

Analytical Dashboards

An analytical dashboard could display operational or strategic data. However, this type of dashboard will offer drill-down functionality - allowing the user to explore more of the data and get different insights. Often dashboards include this functionality when it is not required.

Rule 3 - Group data logically - Use space wisely

A well-designed dashboard will ensure that data is displayed in logical groups.

Grouping is often by department or functional area and can include:

Product (Inventory, development)

Sales/Marketing

Finance (Actuals and forecasts)

People

Rule 4 - Make the data relevant to the audience

An Executive dashboard can have a number of different audiences. Ensure that the data you display is relevant to the users. Think about the scope and reach of your data:

The whole company

By Department

Individuals

Suppliers

Ensure that you understand exactly who the intended audience is and the scope of their requirements. In a small organization, the Executive dashboard is likely to include KPI data across all departments.

Rule 5 - Don’t clutter your dashboard - Present the most important metrics only

Dashboards are often cluttered. Cluttered displays deflect the focus from the important messages. Some are cluttered with useful and relevant information and some are cluttered with useless and irrelevant information.

Rule 6 - How often does the data really need to be refreshed?

Ensuring that your dashboard data is being refreshed at the right intervals saves time during development (why go through the pain of sourcing real-time data, when all you need is a weekly feed) and can ensure optimal performance once the dashboard is live.

Examples of refresh rates on dashboards include:

Real-time (or near real-time)

Daily, weekly, monthly

As a rule of thumb, operational dashboards require data in real-time or near real-time, whereas executive/strategic dashboards require data refreshed on a less frequent basis.