Best Practices in Dashboard Design

Transcription

1 Best Practices in Dashboard Design Dan Bulos

2 Agenda What is a Dashboard? Dashboard Best Practices Dashboard Components Navigation

3 Metaphors Go Only So Far Monitors a Continuous Process At a Glance Gauge Oriented

4 Reporting Spectrum Managed Dashboards Analysis P r o d u c t i o n Customization & Distribution Alternatives Highly Formatted Programmer Developed Tables, Crosstabs, Charts, Graphs Parameter Driven Ease of Development & Usage Paramount Guided Analytics Line Developed Interactive Navigation Depth & Quickness of Analytics Advanced Visualization Staff Developed D i s c o v e r y

5 Dashboard Definition Visual Display of the most important information needed to achieve one or more objectives which fits entirely on a single computer screen so it can be monitored at a glance Information Dashboard Design By Stephen Few

6 What Makes a Good Dashboard Some are Better Than Others

7 Dashboard - Best Practices Key Data/Metrics In Context Dense Information Not Cluttered Single Page Graphically Oriented Zero Learning Curve Access to Supporting Details Highlight Exceptions

8 General Design Considerations Single Page Graphical No Scrolling Nothing Hidden Linked Content All Relevant Info One Place to Look Not Data Driven Better Dashboard Design Displays Patterns Abstract Data Minimal Grids Domain Aware Leverages Knowledge Disparate Data Guided Analytics

9 Key Data/Metrics in Context Key Data/Metrics High level performance metrics Generally tied to goals and bonuses Focus on actionable data Disparate sources Context The 3Ts = Target, Trend, Typical Similar/Related Data/Metrics Basis for interpretation

10 Dense, not Cluttered Dense Information All relevant data/metrics Different perspectives Not Cluttered At a Glance It is not how much, but how well Easy to view, not an eye chart The Visual Display of Quantitative Information Data-Ink Ratio ( Edward R. Tufte ) Non-essential ink should be removed Supporting ink (axis lines) = low visual impact

11 Zero Learning Curve Dashboard viewing is not a person s job Oriented at casual users, line mgt, & execs Little/No accumulated experience Each viewing is the first time Dashboards are not analytical tools But they provide guided analytics Targeted to a Person/Role/Problem Set

12 Exception Oriented Outliers should POP out Highlight Both Problems Opportunities What is an Exception? > 1 Std Dev, 2. Five9s When action needs be taken Visual Cues Color Size Shape Boldness Position Icons

13 Supporting Detail Dashboards are not an end unto themselves Associated Layers Contextual Content Updates Root Cause Analysis Links to New Pages Guided Analytics Hierarchical Drill-Down Ad Hoc Analysis Update Dashboard Webparts Detail Reports

14 Dashboard Components Scorecards Diagrams Grids Charts Gauges Maps Tree Map Decomp Tree And So Much More

15 First a Word on Color Use Color Sparingly Generally Soft Colors Highlighting Bold Colors Different Colors = Different Meaning Try shades of grey Use a Single Hue Increase the intensity for low to high values Remember - 7% of men are color blind A dashboard is not a painting Usefulness is Paramount

16 Grids When to use: Values are familiar Need to lookup a value Small differences are important Mixed units of measure Design Considerations Try to keep square-ish Comparisons are done by column Limit length with Top/Bottom

17 Grid Embellishments Highlights Items of interest Data Bars Helpful to read magnitude Color Scales/Icons Can overwhelm the data Arrows Used for change over time Icons are best used to: Replace data to save space Show variance or score

18 Scorecards Are a special type of grid Created for KPIs and Objectives Can be methodology oriented Balanced Scorecard, 6 Sigma, Used as a navigation aid A list with data Scorecards are less about data and more about process

19 Basic Charts Lines Charts Time Series oriented Highlights trend, patterns or variability Highlights relationships between series Trend lines & projections can be added Bar Chart Comparison Oriented Categorical comparisons within a dimension Nominal comparisons across data (sales to cost) Pie Charts Part to Whole Only works with small sets Hard to visually quantify A lot of space for not much data

20 Interlude: Form vs. Function If the dashboard is not visually appealing, people will not go to it If the dashboard is not effective and practical, people will not use it 1 Page 6#s Pretty Yes! Useful? What is fun the first time Might be boring the 100 th time Too Dense?

21 Bar Charts Horizontal Long labels Pattern comparisons Long-ish lists Vertical Groups with in groups Stacked and 100% Bars Pareto Charts Doesn t work for large numbers of groups Bars are easily drilled into

22 Hybrids Charts in Grids Great Data-Ink Ratio Effective Mixing Of Charts & Values Introduction of Sparklines & Bullet Graphs

23 Bullet Graphs A bullet graph is a variation of a bar graph developed by Stephen Few. Seemingly inspired by the traditional thermometer charts and progress bars found in many dashboards, the bullet graph serves as a replacement for dashboard gauges and meters Symmetry s Variation Sales Costs Black Bar = Value Green/Red Bar = Target Blue Pointer = Last Year

24 Maps Useful in showing regional components Maps are great for demographics Maps are highly specialized Be careful of charts within a map Impact grids can be effective

25 Gauges Hard to set gauge scale for the general case When using a set of gauges expected value should be straight up Best for continuous process Poor Data-Ink Ratio

26 Diagrams Balanced Scorecard Strategy Map Process Diagram Diagrams are underutilized Graphical Representations Impact Diagram Root Cause/Fishbone Diagram

27 Graphical Excellence Show the data Focus on the substance of the numbers Don t distort the data Present many numbers in a small space Encourage comparisons Show data in several perspectives The Visual Display of Quantitative Information Edward R. Tufte

28 Screen Layout Number of Frames Up to 4 is good, no more than 6 Frame Proportions Size = implied importance Uniform otherwise Location Top left = primary focus Bottom right = supporting detail Off page = irrelevant Printing The dirty little secret

29 Frame Options Different frame on same page Must fit on the page Can drill from here to new page New page in same browser Easy to get back Full page available New browser tab/window Allows for comparisons Users must close windows/tabs

30 Navigation Framework A tiered set of dashboards based on role or function A set of grids, graphs, or visualizations that examine a single metric A set of detailed reports or ad-hoc analytics

31 Navigation Identify the key dimensions for the metric Customer, product, department Drill into one or more of these Top 10 rankings Identify the audience Marketing manager Drill to product Sales Manager Drill to customer

32 Navigation - What to Show

33 Microsoft Software Components Reporting Services Formal report view Highly formatted Performance Point Server Analytical Charts and Graphs Less control over format Built in Slice and Dice Excel Services Shared user-created content Fast changing

34 Summary Choose the right tool for the job Simple is better Conserve your screen real estate Use color to highlight Put focus on the data not the decoration

35 Symmetry Founded in 1986 Experienced Consultants Each with over 15 years of BI experience Microsoft Relationship Gold Certified Partner Microsoft-nominated BI Partner Advisory Council member since 1999 Licensed Technology to Microsoft SQL Server Accelerator for BI Internal Microsoft Consulting SQL Server PerformancePoint Server Internal departmental BI application development

36 Resources Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten Stephen Few Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data Stephen Few The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 2nd edition Edward R. Tufte Symmetry Corp

37 Questions?