​ Designing Meaningful Dashboards

Designing Meaningful Dashboards

This week, you have been introduced to dashboards and how they can be used in the business world. As with the other graphic presentations you have examined, dashboards are only as good as their design. You have been given suggestions for designing dashboards with ideas on what should be included and avoided. In this Application, you will have the opportunity to consider the design process.

For this application, in a 2- to 3-page paper:

• Identify the key metrics for a process used in your own business or one you are familiar with.
• What suggestions would you provide for designing a dashboard to best display key metrics?
• What type of dashboard would you suggest the business use?
• What are the key variables involved in the visual perception?

References:

Few, S. (2012). Show me the number: Designing tables and graphs to enlighten. Oakland, CA: Analytics Press. Chapter 8, “Table Design” Chapter 9, “General Graph Design”

Ballou, B., Heitger, D. L., & Donnell, L. (2010). Creating effective dashboards: How companies can improve executive decision making and board oversight. Strategic Finance, 91(9), 27-32.
Retrieved from the Computers & Applied Sciences Complete database.

This article discusses effective design of dashboards through defining requirements, and understanding assumptions and metrics for short-term decision making.

Bremser, W. G., & Wagner, W.P. (2013). Developing dashboards for performance management. The CPA Journal, 83(7), 62-67.
Retrieved from the Business Source Complete database