Dashboard
The Design Need:
The user needs to be able to get a quick overview of the current state of a large amount of parameters.
Design Examples:
Design Solution:
A dashboard gives a visual overview of high-level indicators for various parameters.
Before you start, you should be familiar with the high-level goals for the dashboard. Does it support business management, decision making, workflow, etc.? Then you have to decide on the most effective form of representation, by answering the following questions:
- What metrics does the user need?
- What context is needed for each metric to be meaningful?
- What is the best visual representation for each metric and its context?
Some dos and don’ts when designing dashboards:
- Try to fit all elements on one screen, unless users have multiple screens at their disposal. Users have a better overview when they do not have to scroll to see all parameters. It also helps users to see relations that might not be detected by the software.
- If possible, allow users to personalize the dashboard.
- Do not provide too much info and precision in the visual parameters.
- Allow users to view more detail and background info from the dashboard if needed.
- Highlight important data and notify the user if action might be necessary.
- Pay sufficient attention to the visual layout to create a good visual overview, e.g. place related parameters close to each other.
- Create a clean and uncluttered look on the page. Avoid any unnecessary decoration, which distracts from the visual representations.
- Choose colors and elaborate designs carefully: too much will do more harm than good.
- Too much visual distraction might cause important information to be overlooked.
- Make sure quantitative data is accurately encoded.
When to use:
- The user needs to monitor changing data from one or more sources on a regular basis
- There are many different parameters that need attention and might need action depending on how they change.
Why use this solution (rationale):
A dashboard is a cognitive tool that helps to improve control over a large amount of changing content. Good visual design is crucial for using a dashboard for its intended purpose: to manage and control processes and to make well-informed decisions.
Dashboards are typically used to manage business processes, finances, web analytics, etc..
More info elsewhere:
- Dashboard design pattern on www.uipatternfactory.com
- Dashboard desgn pattern on http;//quince.infragistics.com
- “Dashboard design: why design is important” on www.information-management.com
