How to Decide What Dashboard You Need and How to Visualise It?

1. Define the Dashboard's Purpose

Every dashboard has a primary purpose. Before you start building, clearly outline what you want your dashboard to achieve.

• Ask yourself these questions:
  1. What decisions will this dashboard support?
  2. Is the focus on monitoring, analysis, or high-level reporting?
  3. Who will be using the dashboard, and what do they need to know?
• Common dashboard types include:
  1. Operational Dashboards:
     • Track real-time or daily activities.
     • Example: Monitoring website traffic or live sales figures.
  2. Strategic Dashboards:
     • Focus on long-term goals and trends.
     • Example: Visualising quarterly revenue growth or customer retention rates.
  3. Analytical Dashboards:
     • Provide detailed data for in-depth analysis.
     • Example: Campaign performance across multiple channels.
  4. Informational Dashboards:
     • Offer a high-level overview for broad audiences.
     • Example: Shareholder reports or team updates.

2. Identify Key Metrics and KPIs

The metrics you choose will define the dashboard’s value. Select data points that are directly tied to your business objectives.

• Steps to identify metrics:
  • Identify your business goals (e.g., increase revenue, improve customer satisfaction).
  • Map these goals to measurable KPIs (e.g., sales growth, net promoter score).
  • Prioritise metrics that provide actionable insights.
• Examples of metrics for different teams:
  • Marketing: ROI, website traffic, lead conversion rates.
  • Sales: Revenue, deals closed, average order value.
  • Operations: Inventory levels, service response times.
  • Finance: Profit margins, expenses, cash flow.

3. Step 3: Choose the Right Data Sources

Your dashboard is only as good as the data feeding into it. Select data sources that are accurate, relevant, and timely.

• Steps to choose data sources:
  • List all potential sources (e.g., Google Analytics, CRM, ERP, spreadsheets).
  • Ensure each source provides clean, reliable data.
  • Check for real-time updates if required for operational dashboards.
• Popular tools and platforms:
  • Google Analytics: For website and campaign performance.
  • Salesforce: For CRM and sales tracking.
  • Microsoft Power BI: For enterprise data visualisation.
  • GA4: For advanced web and app analytics.

4. Select Visualisation Types

Data visualisation determines how users interpret your metrics. Choose the right type of chart, graph, or widget to convey your data effectively.

• Common visualisation options and when to use them:
  1. Line Charts: Show trends over time (e.g., monthly revenue growth).
  2. Bar Charts: Compare categories (e.g., sales by product type).
  3. Pie Charts: Highlight proportions (e.g., traffic sources by percentage).
  4. Heat Maps: Indicate density or activity (e.g., user engagement by time).
  5. Tables: Present detailed data for granular analysis.
  6. Scorecards: Display high-level KPIs at a glance (e.g., total sales today).

5. Design a User-Friendly Layout

A well-designed dashboard is clean, intuitive, and prioritises the most important information.

• Steps to create a user-friendly layout:
  • Start with the most critical metrics at the top.
  • Group related data together for logical flow.
  • Use white space effectively to avoid clutter.
  • Apply consistent colours and fonts for clarity.
  • Include interactive elements, such as filters, to allow users to customise their view.
• Design tips:
  • Use colour sparingly and strategically (e.g., red for declines, green for growth).
  • Add labels, legends, and annotations for context.
  • Keep the dashboard responsive for mobile and desktop users.

6. Tailor the Dashboard to Your Audience

Different stakeholders require different levels of detail. Design the dashboard with your users in mind.

• How to tailor dashboards:
  1. Executives: Provide high-level overviews with key KPIs.
  2. Managers: Include both KPIs and detailed insights to support decision-making.
  3. Analysts: Enable deep dives with granular data and advanced filters.

7. Test and Iterate

Building the dashboard is only part of the process. Testing ensures it meets user needs and functions as expected.

• Steps to test your dashboard:
  • Share a draft with end users and gather feedback.
  • Validate the data against original sources for accuracy.
  • Observe how users interact with the dashboard and identify pain points.
• Regular updates:
  • Ensure metrics and visualisations remain relevant over time.
  • Incorporate user feedback to improve usability.

8. Examples of Dashboards by Use Case

Ecommerce Dashboard

• Purpose: Monitor daily sales and website performance.
• Metrics: Active users, revenue, cart abandonment rate, top-selling products.
• Visualisations:
  • Scorecards for revenue and active users.
  • Bar charts for product performance.
  • Line charts for revenue trends.

Marketing Campaign Dashboard

• Purpose: Analyse campaign ROI across multiple channels.
• Metrics: Impressions, clicks, conversions, cost per lead.
• Visualisations:
  • Pie charts for channel breakdowns.
  • Line charts for performance over time.
  • Tables for campaign-specific details.

9. Conclusion

Choosing the right dashboard and visualisations depends on understanding your business needs, goals, and audience. By following the steps outlined above, you can create dashboards that not only look great but also deliver actionable insights.

10. FAQ

1. How do I decide what type of dashboard I need?
Start by clarifying the main purpose: is it real-time monitoring, long-term strategy, deep analysis, or high-level reporting? From there, match the purpose to a dashboard type—operational, strategic, analytical, or informational—and define the decisions it should support and who will use it.

2. What’s the best way to choose metrics and KPIs for my dashboard?
Begin with your business goals (for example, increase revenue, improve retention, reduce response times) and map them to KPIs that directly reflect progress toward those goals. Prioritise a small set of meaningful metrics for each team (marketing, sales, operations, finance) rather than cramming everything into one view.

3. How do I know which data sources to connect to my dashboard?
List all systems that hold relevant data—such as GA4, Google Analytics, your CRM, ERP, finance tools, or spreadsheets—and assess them for accuracy, freshness, and alignment with your chosen KPIs. For operational dashboards you’ll usually want real-time or daily feeds, while strategic dashboards can rely on weekly or monthly aggregates.

4. Which visualisation types should I use for different kinds of data?
Use line charts for trends over time, bar charts to compare categories, and pie charts sparingly for simple proportions. Heat maps can highlight density or activity patterns, tables work well for detailed drill-downs, and scorecards are ideal for headline KPIs like today’s revenue, active users, or conversion rate.

5. How can I make sure my dashboard is easy to use for different stakeholders?
Design with the audience in mind: executives typically need concise, high-level KPIs; managers need a mix of summary and diagnostic views; analysts need granular data and filters. Place critical information at the top, group related elements, keep the layout clean with plenty of white space, test the dashboard with real users, and iterate based on their feedback and changing business needs.