Good dashboard design is crucial when it comes to making this tool truly useful for your business.
After all, even though this tool is an excellent weapon for implementing, managing, and monitoring strategies for companies, if the dashboard is not easily understandable and usable, it will not be able to deliver the results you expect.
With that in mind, we have brought you a complete guide on dashboard design so that you can improve the use of this resource and achieve the best possible results.
So, follow along until the end to not miss any relevant information.
What are the advantages of using a dashboard?
With the advancement of technology and the increasing availability of data in various areas, it has become increasingly important to find efficient ways to visualize and understand this information.
This is where the use of dashboards comes in, offering a practical and intuitive solution to transform complex data into actionable insights.
Dashboards are visually appealing and interactive data panels that present relevant information in a clear and concise manner. They are a valuable tool for any company as they provide a holistic view of data, enabling faster and informed analysis.
Next, we will see the main advantages of using a dashboard and how it can improve decision-making.
Centralization of information
By using a dashboard, you can have access to all relevant business information in one place, allowing you to monitor trends, cross-reference data, and analyze results in a centralized manner.
This enables users to access information from different data sources, systems, or departments in a single panel, avoiding the need to switch between multiple tools or reports.
Democratizes management
Through the dashboard, the so-called visual management becomes much easier to implement. With this, you enable your team to know exactly what the goals are and direct their efforts towards a common purpose.
Accelerates decision-making
Since the analysis performed by the dashboard is more precise and faster than other methods of evaluating KPIs, it becomes much easier to identify the best decision to be made.
Enables seizing opportunities
Another benefit of the agility brought by dashboards is the ability to identify real-time opportunities and take advantage of them.
After all, a later analysis of a spreadsheet may show that a certain decision would have generated good results at a given moment. But if that moment has already passed, that information will be of little value to your business.
Allows customization
You can customize the dashboard design to adapt the tool to your reality.
This way, you have complete freedom to define which data you will analyze, the frequency of updates, the best layout, etc.
How to improve dashboard design?
As we have seen, the use of dashboards is very advantageous for various areas of any business. However, if you don’t pay attention to the correct dashboard design, these benefits can be lost.
For this, we have separated some valuable tips for you to make this tool as efficient and accurate as possible. Follow along.
Clearly establish your objective
In order for the dashboard to truly generate valuable insights for your business, you must first establish a clear objective of what you expect from it.
Whether it’s financial control, sales conversion tracking, etc., you need to know the objective to align the best dashboard design with it.
Define the best type of dashboard
Based on your objective, establish the best type of dashboard to use in order to achieve it. As you know, there are basically three types: operational, tactical, and strategic.
So, when creating dashboards for your company, keep in mind the purpose and the best profile to achieve that goal.
Filter and organize information
To make the dashboard design functional and meet your needs, do not overload it with data, but only include the most relevant information to be analyzed by it.
After all, an excess of data can make the tool difficult to manipulate and the information difficult to interpret.
Also, organize the data logically, classified and grouped carefully.
Avoid visual clutter
To facilitate access and understanding of the data, it is vital that you do not clutter the dashboard screen with unnecessary images, text, and graphic elements.
It is also important to choose a readable and clean font, meaningful colors with good contrast, and be consistent in the use of visual resources.
Dashboard design should prioritize the easy visual comprehension of information, as any difficulty in interpretation can cause delays in decision-making and, consequently, the loss of the real value of the tool.
Know who will be using the dashboard
Another crucial point for the full effectiveness of the dashboard is to create it with the people who will be using it in mind.
After all, knowing who will be using the resource makes it easier to establish the best layout, the most important information to be added, the best type of chart, the most appropriate language, etc.
This way, the use of the dashboard will be easier and more efficient for those who really matter.
Define the ideal data update time
You can update the dashboard data in different ways, depending on your needs. Based on your expectations and purposes, you should evaluate the best frequency for this update to be performed.
For example, if you want to evaluate the progress of e-commerce sales, you can set up real-time updates, but if you need to check the progress of production in the manufacturing departments, you may need the update to be hourly, daily, weekly, etc.
And remember to communicate the update frequency on the dashboard, as this can be important information for those who will analyze the data.
Make the dashboard interface as user-friendly as possible
To make the dashboard interface as user-friendly as possible, it is crucial to focus on simplicity and clarity of the presented information.
Use an organized and clean layout, avoiding the overload of visual elements.
Choose harmonious colors and appropriate contrast to facilitate reading and understanding of the data. Additionally, opt for a legible typography and use clear and relevant graphs and visualizations.
A user-friendly interface provides a pleasant experience for users, allowing them to explore and interact with the data intuitively and efficiently.
Now that you understand how to improve dashboard design and use it to your advantage, apply these tips to your business.