{"id":2554,"date":"2025-01-25T15:56:17","date_gmt":"2025-01-25T08:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mintea.blog\/?p=2554"},"modified":"2025-01-25T15:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T08:57:09","slug":"2554","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mintea.blog\/?p=2554","title":{"rendered":"9 dashboard design principles – see them in action with real examples"},"content":{"rendered":"

9 dashboard design principles: see them in action with real examples<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Dashboard design principles are all very well, but what do they look like in practice?<\/p>\n

This blog will walk you through nine golden rules, with a real-life dashboard example for each. Here\u2019s a preview:<\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Decide what you want your dashboard to do<\/a><\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Only include what matters<\/a><\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Use size and position to make priorities clear<\/a><\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Give your numbers a frame of reference<\/a><\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Group connected metrics<\/a><\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Keep it uniform<\/a><\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Label things clearly for your team<\/a><\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Round your numbers<\/a><\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Keep developing your dashboard<\/a><\/p>\n

By following these simple steps you can create a dashboard that’s clear and effective. And you don’t need to be a designer to make yours look great.<\/p>\n

Enjoy building!<\/p>\n

1. Decide what you want your dashboard to do<\/p>\n

Before you start building your dashboard, decide what it\u2019s for, and who it\u2019s for.<\/p>\n

Will the whole company be looking at it, or just one team? And what actions do you want people to take after looking at it?<\/p>\n

Maybe you want to rally your team around a specific goal, and show them their impact. Perhaps you want problems to be spotted faster. Or maybe you just want to be more transparent about what\u2019s happening in your business.<\/p>\n

These are just some of the use-cases illustrated in this post. For more, check out our\u00a0full gallery of dashboard examples<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Only include what matters<\/p>\n

\"\u00a0Company milestones dashboard example by Silbo. Contains sample data.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Learn more about this company milestones dashboard example and metrics<\/a><\/p>\n

A dashboard isn\u2019t like a noticeboard where you share anything interesting. It should only include things that really matter to your business.<\/p>\n

If you have goals and KPIs then these are a great place to start. Just make sure that they support your overall objective (for detailed advice on this, see our articles on\u00a0defining KPIs<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0SMART goal-setting<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Following this principle, Silbo\u2019s dashboard example is super simple with four key goals that matter to the whole company. For other KPIs they have separate dashboards, rather than trying to squeeze them all onto one.<\/p>\n

You might display more information than Silbo and that\u2019s fine, as long as it\u2019s important and reflects your overall purpose.<\/p>\n

3. Use size and position to make priorities clear<\/p>\n

\"GraphicalA real-time customer support dashboard example by JustPark. Contains sample data.<\/em><\/p>\n

Learn more about this real-time customer support dashboard example and metrics<\/a><\/p>\n

Anything you include on your dashboard should be important, but some things will be slightly less important than others. To make priorities clear to your team, you can use size and position.<\/p>\n

Your most important metric should go in the top left corner where the eyes go first. If you have room, you can also make your most important metric bigger than the others.<\/p>\n

In textbook style, JustPark displays Today\u2019s\u00a0CSAT (Customer Satisfaction)<\/a>\u00a0top left. And they\u2019ve devoted an entire column to various aspects of Customer Satisfaction as this is the metric they\u2019re most passionate about.<\/p>\n

4. Give your numbers a frame of reference<\/p>\n

\"GraphicalA CEO dashboard example by Geckoboard. Contains sample data.<\/em><\/p>\n

Learn more about this CEO dashboard example and metrics<\/a><\/p>\n

Some numbers need a yardstick so your team can tell if they\u2019re good or bad. An obvious one to add is past data.<\/p>\n

Take the above dashboard example. To help teams understand Signups, we\u2019ve added past data in the form of:<\/p>\n