Ultimate guide to choosing the right metrics for an effective dashboard

Tips for choosing relevant information and improving the user experience

In our blog post on the topic Dashboard design basics We've explained to you what makes a comprehensible and appealing dashboard. We'll now go over how to design your dashboard and explain how to select the right information and distinguish it from irrelevant information. You'll also learn how to evaluate this information in terms of usability and derive requirements for your dashboard from it. Because: A dashboard is only successful if it also solves problems and its content is justified from the perspective of the target group. It is therefore important to first deal with the person who is at the center of the usage context: the user. They use operational dashboards to visualize work-relevant information and derive recommendations for action from this. Your actions in turn influence the information to be visualized. Since employees already have a mental model of their work, a dashboard should only refresh or support awareness of the processes in the mental model. This works best when the information is presented in such a way that it matches the mental model as closely as possible.

Understanding and using the mental model for optimal process visualization

Every person who performs a specific work process has a mental model that goes through each step of the process in a specific order. This model includes an understanding of how the parts of the process relate to and influence each other. It also includes measures that can be taken when problems arise. Since a work process naturally corresponds to a specific sequence, its individual parts are arranged in the mental model in such a way that they reflect this sequence. A dashboard that arranges the information in this way will therefore make it easier for the employee to record the information displayed. If you want to design a successful dashboard, you should first understand the way the viewers think and capture the mental models of exactly the processes that the dashboard is intended to support.

How to prepare your processes with effective sketches

To find out the individual parts and processes of a mental model, it is helpful to draw them schematically. Simple sketches of circles or rectangles, which represent parts of the process, and lines that connect related parts together, are usually sufficient. Talk to someone from the department and ask questions, such as “How is X related to Y? ” or “If there's a problem here, how does it affect Z? “Refine the sketch iteratively until it most closely matches the target group's mental model. This gives you an idea of what the dashboard usage context looks like.

The perfect dashboard strategy: Key questions for effective information selection and target group adjustment

Now that you have an understanding of the usage context, it's time to find out what information is needed to create an effective visualization. You can find out specifically by asking the following questions:

Who is the dashboard aimed at?

Start with the target group: Who will need the dashboard for their work and which information is really relevant? What previous knowledge is available? Have there already been positive or negative experiences with dashboards?
A thorough understanding of the target audience will help you create a tailored dashboard that can be used efficiently and effectively. Dashboards can be made available to different users, who in turn may belong to different departments. Using a dashboard in several areas of the company has the potential advantage of bringing many employees on board. However, it is not easy to design a dashboard that serves the needs of different user groups equally well.

What is the added value of the dashboard?

Define in advance what you want to achieve with the dashboard. It may be helpful to limit yourself to three of these features:

• Create or direct attention
• Visualize goals and their attainability
• Provide an overview of the situation
• Encourage specific actions in a timely manner
• Warn when a problem occurs
• Communicate progress and successes
• Provide an interactive interface to intervene in processes
• Inform employees about important topics

What type of dashboard is needed?

Dashboards can take a variety of forms and be designed for a wide range of applications — regardless of their function, they have one thing in common: They should only contain the most important information and present it clearly. How detailed or interactive it is and which time frame is taken into account depends on the respective application. By the way, our templates give you a nice overview of different types of dashboards.

‍Which key figures are used to measure the goals?

Key figures are always the basis of a visualization. They provide the content of the dashboard and should always present relevant relationships in a tangible, measurable and sometimes even comparable way.
You can differentiate between indicators that are based on the goals of a process and describe progress in the process and those that describe possible risks or problems.

Less is more for maximum relevance and user satisfaction

We're used to being exposed to a constant flood of information—much of which is irrelevant. As a result, dashboards often contain information that may have been useful in the past but no longer provide any real value. However, the force of habit keeps users from sorting out this information.
To prevent such irrelevant information from appearing on your dashboard and wasting space or time, you should decide beforehand whether it will still help optimize the process. Ask questions like “In which situation is this information useful? ” and “How does it affect your actions? “If no situation comes to mind, the information doesn't belong on the dashboard. After all, dashboards aren't just there to convey information. They should also help prevent problems, identify opportunities, or take action. It is therefore important that only the information that supports this is visualized.

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