Your Ultimate Guide To Creating Stunning, Practical Data Dashboards

Part 1: Dashboard Strategy and Planning

In this 8-part series, I’ll guide you through all you need to know to create gorgeous, highly functional data dashboards that your users will love. Whether you’re using Tableau, Power BI, Looker, or some other tool, the information I provide here will help you take your dashboard design game to the next level.

This article, Part 1, focuses on the dashboard strategy and planning stage.

Part 1: Dashboard Strategy and Planning

What makes a data dashboard stand out from the rest? You might think it’s something to do with colors or cool drill-downs, and while these things can be important (we’ll get to them later), the answer is actually usability. Often, it boils down to this: Does the dashboard help your user discover what they need to know quickly and efficiently?

When you need to make a dashboard, the temptation to jump right in and start tinkering with data sources and charts is strong. However, in order to design the best dashboard possible, you need to do some research and strategizing first. A dashboard is not going to be used if it’s not designed for the one who will be using it. It’s crucial that you begin here: with your user.