Attaining Perfect ALIGNMENT in Power BI

Santhana Lakshmi Ponnurasan
Microsoft Power BI
Published in
2 min readJul 22, 2023

As data-driven professionals, we know that creating impactful dashboards is more than just presenting numbers — it’s an art that requires a delicate balance of aesthetics and functionality.

Proper alignment ensures that the elements on the dashboard are organized in a structured and coherent manner, creating a seamless user experience and maximizing the dashboard’s impact.

Reasons why Alignment is important in dashboard design-

a) Visual Clarity:

Alignment creates a sense of order and clarity on the dashboard. When elements such as charts, graphs, and text are aligned, it becomes easier for users to understand the relationships between different data points and identify patterns or trends quickly.

b) Efficient Scanning:

Well-aligned dashboards facilitate efficient scanning and navigation. Users can quickly find the information they need without wasting time searching for relevant data points or struggling to understand the dashboard’s structure.

c) Focused Attention:

Proper alignment guides the user’s attention to the most critical elements and insights. By using alignment strategically, you can emphasize key metrics, call-to-action buttons, or important visualizations, ensuring that users focus on the most relevant aspects of the dashboard.

d) Readability and Comprehension:

Aligned text and labels improve readability and comprehension. When titles, subtitles, and data labels are consistently aligned, users can effortlessly associate them with the corresponding charts or sections, leading to a smoother user experience.

How to attain Alignment in Power BI Reports?

a) Enable Gridlines and Grid System

Use gridlines to help you manually align elements in your report, creating a sense of order and balance.

b) Employ the Container System

Group related elements using containers like rectangles or slicers. Containers help maintain alignment within groups.

c) Use the Snap-to-grid functionality

This functionality helps you automatically align objects in your report.

d) Utilize Smart Guides

They are the red dotted lines that automatically appear when moving or re-sizing objects. They provide visual cues to help you align objects.

Happy learning! Don’t forget to tap the clap button a couple of times to support me and save the article for future reference. Connect with me on LinkedIn. Whatever you do, put your heart into it and success will follow.

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Santhana Lakshmi Ponnurasan
Microsoft Power BI

Just an ordinary person with extraordinary dreams. Data Viz Expert || Microsoft Certified Data Analyst || Converts Data Into Meaningful Visuals