Analysis and Recommendations on Dashboard Design Principles Dashboard Design Why is it recommended not to exceed the boundaries of a single screen?
Content presented on a single screen is easier to understand (Few, 2006). When users of a dashboard have to scroll down or across pages to view content, they get distracted. For example, users might forget some details observed in the previous screen when scrolling to the next screen. This would affect the users’ ability to comprehend the message being disseminated (Few, 2006). If users of a dashboard are clients, they might find it tedious to keep scrolling for them to get an entire message (Abduldaem & Gravell, 2019). This would affect the performance of a business.
Why is cluttering the screen with decoration an issue?
A cluttered dashboard makes viewers weary (Few, 2006). Designers of dashboards make them with the aim of entertaining viewers, but sometimes, the decorations go overboard. For example, too many colors on a single dashboard screen create too much contrast and exhaust viewers. According to Few (2006), lesser decorations would be more impressive for viewers who need to grasp information quickly from a dashboard. This includes commercial websites where viewers look for information about an organization’s products. The fewer the decorations, the clearer the information displayed on the dashboard (Few, 2006). Therefore, too much decoration and cluttering are a distraction to viewers.
How can color be misused or overused?
The use of many bright colors on a dashboard creates confusion for the viewer (few, 2006). Different items on a dashboard can be represented using distinct colors. This facilitates the highlighting of data according to importance. However, the colors must not be bright (Few, 2006). More than one bright color on a dashboard would be contrasting. For example, several cool colors can be used on a dashboard to differentiate items on visuals such as graphs. In such cases, one hot color can be used to highlight the main reference.
When does displaying excessive detail become an issue?
Displaying excessive detail makes the users of a dashboard process unnecessary data (Few, 2006). This is time consuming and tedious. For example, different personnel in an organization would require different levels of data for their job execution. Providing excessive data would slow down data processing and execution of tasks (Abduldaem & Gravell, 2019). In some cases, too much information would result in a breach of data privacy. A dashboard with excessive detail also looks cluttered, making it difficult to monitor dashboards (Few, 2006). Therefore, rapid monitoring is ineffective on a dashboard that displays excessive detail.
What is the key to dashboard effectiveness, per S. Few?
To design an effective dashboard, the designer must understand the audience (Few, 2006). Business people prefer interfaces they can easily understand. The simpler the design, the easier it is to understand. Therefore, dashboard design should ensure that the data displayed on the dashboard is simply showcased. Simplicity can be achieved through Few’s (2006), 13 common pitfalls in dashboard design, including no excessive data, too many colors, and boundaries exceeding a single screen. According to Few (2006), it is unnecessary for dashboard designers to include too many colors, decorations, and data in a bid to entertain viewers. Such techniques do not entertain or impress viewers (Few, 2006). On the contrary, viewers become exhausted trying to understand the content in an overdone dashboard.
References
Abduldaem, A., & Gravell, A. (2019, February). PRINCIPLES FOR THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF DASHBOARDS: LITERATURE REVIEW. Paper presented at INTCESS 2019- 6th International Conference on Education and Social Sciences, Dubai, UAE.
Few, S. (2006). Common Pitfalls in Dashboard Design. Retrieved from https://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/Whitepapers/Common_