Let's talk!

How To Avoid Common Design Mistakes For A Dashboard Tool

  • click to rate

    For dashboards to be helpful, they must clearly show your most important KPIs and metrics. A big part of this is how the dashboard Business Intelligence is made. Don't worry; you don't have to be an expert designer to create a great dashboard, mainly if you use the right dashboard tool. 

    But a poorly designed dashboard can work against you and cancel the benefits. 

    To make a good dashboard, you need to know where each piece fits and how it will help your strategy. Even though most of us probably know what to do when making a dashboard, it's just as important to know what common mistakes to avoid. 

    Here are some of the most common mistakes we've seen in dashboard design and how to avoid them. 

    1. Planning ahead of time. 

    If you have an excellent dashboard tool, it might seem like a waste of time to sit down and plan out a storyboard or wireframe, but skipping this step often leads to a more precise design, messy data, and a lack of effectiveness. 

    It takes thought and planning to get information to stakeholders, especially those who may not see the data daily. What seems evident to you might not be obvious to them, which will probably cause them to misinterpret the data and cause problems. 

    2. Not giving every single detail

    When it comes to dashboards, less is more, both in terms of the amount of data you include and the number of visualizations you use. You should consider splitting your marketing dashboards if you have too much to display. For example, a marketing team may want to track their website's statistics and show how their social campaigns are going. Instead of trying to put all of that information on one dashboard, separate it into a web metrics board and a social media board. 

    And when it comes to visualizations, choose them carefully. Adding a chart or graph should serve a purpose, and making your dashboard look nice isn't one of them. 

    3. Using the right way to picture data 

    When deciding what kinds of visuals to use in your marketing reporting dashboard, there's more to it than what you think might look friendly or what other people are doing. 

    The eye and brain of a person can only handle about 12 images per second at most. Before choosing a chart or graph, you should consider your information and select a way to show the best information. 

    Learn the different ways to visualize your data using charts. 

    4. Context is the key

    "Last week's leads" may be something you want to keep track of, but it doesn't tell you much about progress. Where did these leads come from? Are there more or fewer than in the last period? Did they go on to become Christians? When information is vague, it slows down the action and makes it hard to decide. 

    Make sure your numbers tell a story. Read Grow reviews 2022 to learn how we do it. 

    5. Abbreviations may not be the best always

    A marketing manager will know an MQL(Marketing Qualified Lead), but a customer ops manager might not. Trying to save space is excellent, but the point of a dashboard tool is to understand it at a glance, not after you look up what a KWR is (a keyword report for those who don't want to look it up). 

    Closing Words-

    Dashboard Business Intelligence can only be helpful if the dashboards are made right. The most important thing you can do is plan well. If you do that, all of the other parts should come together. But remember, there's no shame in changing your design if it's not working. 

    Make sure that any tools or software you use to build your dashboard, say marketing reporting dashboard, is flexible and can be changed to make great dashboards that will keep you and your team on track to reach your goals. Grow offers the best way to do this; contact us to know more!