"Dundas Consulting did a fantastic job and was able to deliver the final project in two weeks, as planned. We were particularly impressed with the responsiveness of our consultant, as well as his willingness to share his opinions about our needs. Since this was our first dashboard application, we appreciated his candor and experience - especially on the subject of user interfaces."

Mitesh Patel
Executive Technology Director, TMX Communications

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Our Methodology

A Guide To Dashboard Creation

Step Three: Dashboard Design

The process starts with a good look at the metrics.  If there's more than, say, four types of metrics, an attempt is made to visually group them together in a meaningful way.  An example would be annual sales and yearly expenses, which could be grouped together into one metric or chart to allow for easy comparison.

We then try to figure out how all the metrics co-relate with each other.  One problem often found is when a client wants to gather many metrics into one dashboard - and then the KPIs have no bearing on each other!  To counter this, a suggestion is usually made to pair the metrics that co-relate, like sales vs. revenue data, and displaying the breakdown of revenue by product, service, etc.  Some metrics just simply do not belong on the same screen, like costs from one department vs. costs from another department (this would be a case for two separate dashboards, unless it's an executive summary for company expenses broken down by department).

And now that the metrics are making sense together, we try to start visually laying it out on the dashboard.  This frequently starts with a "reading flow," with the placement of the most important information at the top left for working across and down the screen.  Other proponents suggest that metrics summarizing performance should define the reading flow.  Both should be used only as a rule of thumb and it is ultimately up to the end user to have the final say.

With an understanding that data visualization techniques are usually independent of the overall layout, let's note here that some types of data are best represented in charts and scorecards, others in real-time gauges, while some are best shown on maps or even calendars.  We try to steer the client in a direction that works best for their particular data.  Most importantly, we advise clients to make sure their metrics are in context; e.g. the number 42 is displayed in a gauge.  Is that number good or bad?  It needs to be put into context such as comparing it with another value and having an indicator lighting up as green (good) or red (bad).

At this point, we're working one-on-one with the client, who's making suggestions and our staff is replying with what they believe is realistic and feasible.  It's an iterative process to figure out what the client likes or doesn't like.  This feedback is critical because, in the end, it's the client's dashboard; it has to make sense to their business and how they view it.  It's vital that we work together and that everyone appreciates what is trying to be accomplished.