Dashboards are an intuitive and visually compelling way to work with data by speedily presenting information based on key performance indicators (KPIs). To communicate important information to decision-makers as easily and efficiently as possible, you need to leverage the power of interactive digital dashboards and learn how to create them. The dashboard creation process is only effective if all of your work is focused on engaging your audience. For instance, when you tell a story, you have to keep the interest of your audience in mind and narrate your story. It's the same with creating a dashboard but with real-time data. This means that you need to explain your needs and goals before you list down your business’s story to your employees. Here’s a list of practices you need to follow to create stunning dashboards. 

Know your audience 

To know your audience well, ask yourself these questions: Who are these people or groups of people who will be actively using a dashboard? What role do they play in my organization? Which important tasks does this person do every day in my organization? If he/she is a sales executive then are they able to sell more products and attract new customers? Can my customer service requests be handled more efficiently? Does my company need more aggressive marketing through digital media? Through a dashboard, all these questions can be answered and you can see at a glance the state of the company’s cash flow. Find out how strong your company's sales were in this quarter compared to the previous quarter and total digital spend and revenue in a dashboard.

List down KPIs most important for your business 

Now that you know your important day-to-day roles, tasks, and goals, you can take a look at some useful KPIs. KPIs help you write a description of your knowledge base. KPI dashboards can improve the decision-making process that streamlines your business. This allows your audience to directly explore your data with filters and other controls and adds value by providing deeper context. Interactive visualization is ideal for large audiences. Newbies in the subject can spot trends and learn the basics and experts in the field can browse the data to find out more.

Search for the right sources to get accurate data

To achieve your goals, you need to know where to get the data you need. There are many data sources to consider, but it all depends on the business scenario you are working with. You can also consider external sources like Salesforce, Google Analytics, and Facebook. All of these can be valuable in fetching accurate data for your departments. Another important thing to look out for when dealing with data sources is to have a good data quality management (DQM) strategy. Data must be clean, accurate, consistent, complete, and consistent with the company's business. You should also think about how to automate this process as much as possible to not waste extra time. If you don't consider DQM, you lose data quality alongside analytics and dashboard usefulness. 

Choose the perfect chart for analyzing data

If you are confused about how to create a dashboard with the correct type of data visualization for your KPIs then the best way to understand is by using charts. Charts fetch reports and analytics in an accurate and precise manner. Perhaps the most common misconception about charts is that the more you have the better. But truth is – the more the charts, the more confusion it creates. Dashboard analytics should be used appropriately using the following type of charts - Bar charts, Pie charts, Line charts, Tables, Gauges, and Area Charts. 

Make use of predefined templates

Templates are designed to provide users with quick access to predefined styles, layouts, and graphics. Just select the template you want and the program will automatically create appealing visuals of your dashboard. If you want to know the fastest and best way to create a business dashboard, especially if you don't have time to build from scratch or don't want to develop anything on your own, we recommend using built-in templates. This is a great way to not only save time but also encourage customization of existing designs to achieve business quality. Using predefined templates lets you create stunning dashboards and bring all of your data together in one place.

Build user-friendly interactive dashboards

The purpose of creating interactive dashboards is to make them more user-friendly, simplify and facilitate the analytical process by providing answers to your questions. If your digital dashboard is interactive, your data is likely to remain simple, precise, and reliable. This helps create a powerful dashboard that is not crowded with information but provides crisp and clear images that can be analyzed at a deeper level.

Build mobile-friendly dashboards

We live in a digital age with 24/7 access to information. Mobile technology means you can make campaigns, analyze, connect and fetch data from anywhere we are in the world. The design of a mobile dashboard is very different from a large screen like a table or TV panel. Due to fewer space requirements and different screen sizes, you can quickly and easily get layouts with professional dashboards tools. 

Follow these design fundamentals 

Custom Dashboards are only effective if the visuals are positioned perfectly. Strategic chart placement is essential to understanding how to create dashboards. The goal is to organize the data in a way that makes it easy to use and visualize. Important data like KPIs should be prominently displayed at the top. The data you are comparing should be structured around these comparisons. A good design is when KPIs are clearly displayed at the top of the page, followed by supporting data. Your eyes automatically jump to the most important information. Create a dashboard tailored to the needs of your target audience. Keep your dashboard as simple, understandable, and minimal as possible, and add the KPIs you need. Use color-coded schemes that grab instant attention.  

Use these key design elements and tips for creating digital dashboards. As an industry expert, MyDash creates interactive, mobile-friendly, and user-friendly dashboards to ensure that most of your important data is easily accessible for facilitating internal communications and initiatives. We make use of the latest tools to create custom dashboards to enable less tech-savvy users to manage large amounts of data and improve productivity. With stunning dashboards, advanced mapping options, interactivity, and real-time data, modern design board software like MyDash has revolutionized how data can be presented. Our interactive dashboards combine flexibility with the ability to consolidate key metrics to run a powerful data-driven business. Don’t forget to use our free dashboard mockups!