Dashboards are a valuable business tool that can provide insight and guidance. However, they can easily become weighed down by extra information, becoming useless. Next time you\u2019re tasked with creating a dashboard, consider these questions so you can create an effective dashboard.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all dashboard. Instead of creating a single dashboard that applies to several different groups, focus on the people who will be using the dashboard. They will dictate the overall content and function.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to understand your audience\u2019s goals, needs, technical skill level, and how much time they have to review your dashboard. If the user wants to be able to glance at it before a key meeting, you\u2019ll want to create a dashboard that focuses on the big-picture idea, key metrics, and major trends instead of a highly-detailed report.<\/p>\n
Just like your dashboard can\u2019t be everything to everyone, it also can\u2019t answer every question. What purpose or focus will your dashboard need to serve? Dashboards are helpful for more than just providing a performance overview. They can serve strategic, analytical, or operational purposes. \u00a0Here\u2019s a quick overview of the main three types of dashboards:<\/p>\n
Strategic: <\/strong>Strategic dashboards are used to monitor the strategic direction of a business or department. They allow executives to monitor the progress towards a pre-defined goal.<\/p>\n Analytical: <\/strong>Analytical dashboards use data collected over time to provide insights to users so they can understand what happened and what changes should be made.<\/p>\n Operational: <\/strong>Operational dashboards monitor day-to-day operations and performance. This allows managers to make sure things are working smoothly and catch issues as they arise.<\/p>\n The questions that need to be answered will determine the types of metrics you\u2019ll need. If the focus is for a specific task, like the results of a paid marketing campaign, spotlight the necessary KPIs and metrics like spend, clicks, and conversions along with a few select visualizations. If the focus is broad, like measuring overall performance, your dashboard will feature more data, filters, and visualizations.<\/p>\n How often will your users need to review the dashboard? For most organizations, monthly reports are enough. If you\u2019re building a strategic dashboard in hopes of identifying trends, you\u2019ll want a longer time frame.<\/p>\n Consider how your dashboard will be accessed before creating. We\u2019re no longer tied to your desktops so you should consider making your dashboard viewable on different size devices. If you create a dashboard with a lot of information, an executive won\u2019t be very happy when attempting to look at it from their mobile phone.<\/p>\n Thankfully you don’t need to invest in expensive software to create effective dashboards. Chances are you already have access to what you need! Most homebuilder marketers can use the features and tools available in Google Analytics<\/a> and Google Data Studio<\/a> to create impactful dashboards. If your dashboard is static, meaning it doesn’t need to have the most updated information, savvy marketers can use Excel to create dashboards as well.<\/p>\n We outline how Google Data Studio works<\/a> in this blog post.<\/p>\n The main benefit of dashboards is the ability to display information in a way that\u2019s easy for viewers to understand. There are a lot of different types of charts and graphs so choose the one that fits your users\u2019 needs the best.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a quick rundown of the most common charts:<\/p>\n Bar graph: <\/strong>Bar graphs are the simplest and most straightforward way to compare categories. They\u2019re ideal for showing changes over time and when you\u2019re comparing more than three categories.<\/p>\n Line graph: <\/strong>Line graphs are great for showing changes in a single metric over time. They\u2019re helpful for illustrating trends or making predictions.<\/p>\n Pie\/donut chart: <\/strong>Pie or donut charts illustrate proportions. They\u2019re ideal for comparing the parts of a whole.<\/p>\n Scorecard: <\/strong>Scorecards are used to highlight a key metric and may also include the change over a comparable date range.<\/p>\n You may also want to consider adding text to provide additional context to the charts, especially if you\u2019re presenting to people who are not intimately involved with a project. Here\u2019s a handy reference for choosing the best chart for your data<\/a>.<\/p>\n Answering these questions will help you create a well-designed dashboard.<\/p>\nWhat metrics are needed?<\/h3>\n
What timeframe is needed?<\/h3>\n
How will the dashboard be accessed?<\/h3>\n
What tools are available?<\/h3>\n
How do you want the data to be visualized?<\/h3>\n