A dashboard is the face of your business. After all, it displays data regarding your business. A neat and well-organized dashboard will always draw more attention. When it comes to dashboard designs, the lesser, the better; you don’t want to view a complex dashboard and mess your head over what is what. A well-curated minimalist dashboard is in demand. Follow the tips below to impress your clients with a better dashboard design.
State The Dashboard’s Purpose
Every dashboard has a purpose. Therefore, you must broadcast the goal of your dashboard to your audience. If you don’t state your purpose clearly and concisely, you’ll lose the interest of your clients. There are various ways to classify dashboards according to their purpose – Operational and Analytical.
- Operational Dashboard
Operational dashboards aim at passing quick, crucial information because of the time-sensitive missions. These dashboards feature a quick, clear, and in-depth status.
- Analytical Dashboard
Analytical dashboards are the opposite of operational dashboards. It offers brief information for analysis. The missions aren’t time-sensitive, so you can take your time to analyze them. These dashboards aim at providing clear data for decision-making.
The Right Data Representation Matters
There are four major types of data representation. There’s no need to complicate your dashboard with useless clutter and confuse the users. Selecting the right one will make all the difference.
- Distribution
If you’re portraying a distribution, the best step is to use tables to align and sort variables.
- Comparison
If you’re comparing variables, the best chart to use is a bar chart that defines the differences.
- Relationship
If you wish to point out the relationship between two or more variables, the best thing to do is use a pie chart.
- Composition
Graphs are indispensable when you’re making composition data. Graphs are perfect for assessing changing trends.
Consistency Is Key
While creating a dashboard, it is highly recommended to be consistent with the names, values, and number formats. A concise framework will allow you to be consistent in your approach. One glance at your dashboard should be able to convey its purpose of it. Besides, if you constantly keep using a format or value for a particular word or date, it would be easier for you.
Set The Layout And Flow
The layout and flow of your dashboard will attract or repel potential clients. It’s not hard to set the flow and layout if you use grids. Grids will allow you to sample a rough sketch of your design with great consistency and alignment. These “invisible” grid lines enable your layout to have a straight alignment. If you’re not very experienced in creating seamless dashboards, here are some tips you don’t want to miss about creating engaging layouts.
Naturally, the part of the dashboard that garners the most attention is the top left corner. So, it is best to include the most important information from left to right. A seamless and continuous flow will help the users keep their interests fixed on the dashboard.
Consistent Use Of Cards
Now it’s time for the widgets. These cards feature information, controls, and charts. They are one of the easiest tools to arrange and scale because they can move and stick anywhere you wish. But just because you have the liberty to place them anywhere, don’t make the mistake of overcrowding your dashboard or making clutter out of it. For example, if we look at a free sex hookup site like Local SexFinder, we can see that their consistent use of cards, guides users to the sites functions with deliberate purpose. Where as when we look at other adult dating sites it can become very confusing from a user perspective.
Remember, a clean and simple dashboard generally attracts more people. Be consistent with your use of cards. One example of a card layout is to include the name in the top left corner, which gets the most attention.
Keep An Eye On Negative Space
Also known as white space, negative space is the space between each design element. As a reader, we might not see any importance or difference that negative space makes. However, web designers always have a keen eye for white space. An unbalanced negative space will make it hard to comprehend your dashboard. So, don’t neglect the small things that affect the whole presentation.
Focus On Personalization
When you personalize your dashboard, it will attract more people who share the same interests. There are usually two ways to get your ideas across to the public. One is personalization, and the other is customization. The difference between the two is that personalization is system-based, while customization is done by the user.
We would recommend that you stick with the system personalization because it brings out all the relevant layouts and content to attract readers. You can always customize the design after you personalize it.
No Room For Error
This point applies especially to data tables where you’re representing factual data and information. There can’t be any careless errors in your data because most of your readers are going to take your word for it. Imagine how disappointing it would be when they find out something doesn’t quite add up!
Dashboard Designing
Lastly, it brings us to dashboard designing. Many people make the mistake of designing the dashboard first because it seems like the most fun and creative thing to do. But if you wish to skip the hassle of rearranging your design every time you add a personalized touch, design it only after everything has been done.…