Drive the message home

PRESENTED BY

Andy Cotgreave

Drive the message home with the right dashboard

PRESENTED BY

Senior Product Consultant@acotgreave

©2012 Tableau Software Inc. All rights reserved.

Agenda• What is a dashboard?• Practical design tips• How to make the message clear• Where to go for inspiration



Agenda

• What is a dashboard?• Practical design tips• How to make the message clear• Where to go for inspiration



What is a dashboard?


“A dashboard is a visual display of the most important information needed to achieve one or more objectives; consolidated and arranged on a single screen so the information can be monitored at a glance.”

Stephen Few, ,2004


What is a dashboard?


http://www.tableausoftware.com/learn/gallery

http://www.tableausoftware.com/learn/gallery


Are all dashboards the same?


NO!

EXPLORATOR

YNEUTRAL

http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/




EXPLAnatory

OPINIONATED

http://graphics-info.blogspot.hk/2012/09/malofiej-20-look-at-our-participation.html




Which one to use?


It depends…



Whatever the definitions, what’s the point?


Make better, data-driven decisions. Make changes for

the better.


Agenda• What is a dashboard?

• Practical design tips• How to make the message clear• Where to go for inspiration



Fixed size



The top left!



The top left!


http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/Whatmovieshouldwewatchtonight/Opinionmeter




The top left!


http://ryrobes.com/visual-analytics-and-data-porn/finding-bigfoot-data-visualize-the-squatch/

http://ryrobes.com/visual-analytics-and-data-porn/finding-bigfoot-data-visualize-the-squatch/


Consistent design and formatting


Make it “flow like a river”Consistent, easy-on-the-eye

colours

Images of Ben Jones and HealthIntelligence’s dashboards

http://healthintelligence.drupalgardens.com/content/global-overview-magnitude-disparities-and-trend-infant-mortality-world-1950-2011




Floating? Be careful!



Agenda• What is a dashboard?• Practical design tips

• How to make the message clear

• Where to go for inspiration



Who is your audience?



Well, what is the message?



Distill the data



Enhance the data



Focus on the numbers



Use the title and other text wisely!



You know your dashboard intimately.


You’ve built the thing. Nice. You know what every mark, axis, action, and filter does.

But your audience don’t. They need to be told what to

do




http://bit.ly/UglyViz


Agenda• What is a dashboard?• Practical design tips• How to make the message clear

• Where to go for inspiration



Inspiration, Q+A


Tableau Public.

Viz of the Day.Data blogs.

Tableau

Community.User Groups.

Write your own blog.

http://bit.ly/DriveTheMessage



Thank you and good luck!


@acotgreave



Drive the message home

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