Why Most Dashboards Fail

perceptual
Why Most Dashboards Fail
edge
Stephen Few, Perceptual Edge
Author of Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data
Rise of the Dashboard
graphical luster, despite the fact that displays of this type usually
say little, and what they manage to say, they say poorly. Only
Dashboards can provide a powerful solution to information
those who cut through the hype and learn practical dashboard
overload, but only when they are properly designed. Most
design skills will produce dashboards that actually work.
dashboards that are used in businesses today fail. At best they
deliver only a fraction of the insight that is needed to monitor
Several circumstances have recently merged to allow dash-
the business. This is a travesty, because effective dashboard
boards to bring real value to the workplace. These circum-
design can be achieved by following a small set of visual design
stances include technologies such as high-resolution graphics,
principles that can be easily learned.
emphasis since the 1990s on performance management and
“Most dashboards that are used in businesses today fail. At best they deliver only
a fraction of the insight that is needed to monitor the business.”
Let me back up a little and put this in context. Few phenomena
metrics, and a growing recognition of visual perception as a
characterize our time more uniquely and pervasively than the
powerful channel for information acquisition and comprehension.
rapid rise and inﬂ uence of information technologies. These tech-
Dashboards offer a unique solution to the problem of information
nologies have unleashed a tsunami of data that rolls over and
overload, not a complete solution by any means, but one that
ﬂ attens us in its wake. Taming this beast has become a primary
can help a lot. Much of the problem can be traced back to the
goal of the information industry. One tool that has emerged from
vendors that develop and sell dashboard products. They work
this effort in recent years is the dashboard. This single-screen
hard to make their dashboards shimmy with sex appeal. They
display of the most important information needed to do a job,
taunt, “You don’t want to be the only company in your neighbor-
designed for rapid monitoring, is a powerful new medium of data
hood without one, do you?” They whisper sweetly, “Still haven’t
presentation. At least it can be, but only when properly designed.
achieved the expected return on investment (ROI) from your
Most dashboards that are used in business today, however, fall
expensive data warehouse? Just stick a dashboard in front of
far short of their potential.
it and watch the money pour in.” Those gauges, meters, and
“...beyond the hype and sizzle lives a unique and effective solution to a very real need
for information. This is the dashboard that deserves to live on your screen.”
The root of the problem is not technology—at least not primar-
trafﬁ c lights are so damn cute, but their appeal is only skin deep.
ily—but poor data presentation. To serve their purpose and
Rather than creating a demand for superﬁ cial ﬂ ash, vendors
fulﬁ ll their potential, dashboards must display a dense array of
ought to be learning from the vast body of information visual-
information in a small amount of space in a manner that com-
ization research that already exists, and then developing and
municates clearly and immediately. This requires design that
selling tools that actually work. Rest assured that beyond the
taps into and leverages the power of visual perception and the
hype and sizzle lives a unique and effective solution to a very
human brain to sense and process several chunks of informa-
real need for information. This is the dashboard that deserves to
tion rapidly. This can only be achieved when the visual design
live on your screen.
of dashboards is central to the development process and is in-
formed by a solid understanding of visual perception and human
The Dashboard Design Challenge
cognition—what works, what doesn’t, and why. No technology
can do this for you. Someone must bring design expertise to the
The fundamental challenge of dashboard design is to display all
process.
the required information on a single screen:
Dashboards are unique in several exciting and useful ways, but
• clearly and without distraction
despite the hype surrounding them, surprisingly few present in-
• in a manner that can be quickly examined and understood
formation effectively. People believe that dashboards must look
ﬂ ashy, ﬁ lled with eye-catching gauges and charts, sizzling with
Think about the cockpit of a commercial jet. Years of effort went
into its design to enable the pilot to see what’s going on at a
Copyright © 2007 Stephen Few, Perceptual Edge

glance, even though there is much information to monitor. Every
good or bad? Are we on track? Is this better than before? The
time I board a plane, I’m grateful that knowledgeable designers
right context for the key measures makes the difference between
worked hard to present this information effectively. Similar care
numbers that just sit there on the screen and those that enlight-
is needed for the design of our dashboards. This is a science
en and inspire action.
that few of those responsible for creating dashboards have
studied.
Quantitative scales on a graphic, such as those suggested
by the tick marks around these gauges, are meant to help us
The process of visual monitoring involves a series of sequential
interpret the measures, but they can only do so when scales
steps that the dashboard should be designed to support. The
are labeled with numbers, which these gauges lack. Many of
user should begin by getting an overview of what’s going on and
the visual attributes of these gauges, including the eye-catching
quickly identifying what needs attention. Next, the user should
lighting effects that are used to make them look like real gauges,
look more closely at each of those areas that need attention to
tell us nothing whatsoever.
be able to understand them well enough to determine if some-
thing should be done about them. Lastly, if additional details are
Now take a look at an example below, taken from a small
needed to complete the user’s understanding before deciding
section of a dashboard that I designed. It includes methods of
how to respond, the dashboard should serve as a seamless
display that are probably unfamiliar, so let me take a moment to
launch pad to that information, and perhaps even provide the
introduce them to you. The lines in the column labeled “Past 12
means to initiate automated responses, such as sending emails
months” are called sparklines. They enhance what is often dis-
to those who should take action.
played using trend arrows by actually showing changes through
“Elegance in communication is often achieved through simplicity of design.”
Clearly presenting everything on a single screen requires a
time in the ups and downs of a line—in this case 12 months of
careful design and conscious planning; even the slightest lack of
data. They provide historical context for what’s happening now.
organization will result in a confusing mess. You must condense
The small charts in the “% of Target” column are called bullet
the information, you must include only what you absolutely need,
graphs. I created these to replace the gauges and meters that
and you must use display media that can be easily read and
are typically used in dashboards with a richer form of display
understood. Most dashboard software features display media
that requires much less space. The prominent horizontal bar
that “look marvelous” but communicate little. If the information
is the metric, the small vertical line is a comparative measure
you need is obscured by visual ﬂ uff or is delivered in fragments,
(a target in this case), and the varying intensities of gray in the
the dashboard fails. Anything that doesn’t add meaning to the
background indicate the qualitative states of poor, satisfactory,
data must be thrown out, especially those ﬂ ashy visual effects
and good. The small red icon that appears next to Proﬁ t makes
that have become so popular despite their undermining affect on
it easy to spot this item, which urgently needs your attention. Be-
communication. Elegance in communication is often achieved
cause no colors other than blacks and grays appear anywhere
through simplicity of design. This is certainly true of dashboards.
in the display other than the red icon, nothing distracts you from
quickly ﬁ nding what needs your attention most, with nothing
more than a glance.
Seeing Is Believing
Rather than trying to convince you with words, let me show you
Key Metrics YTD
Actual
Target
Poor
Satisfactory
Good
what I mean. Here is a series of three gauges, which I extracted
Past 12 Months
Metric
% of Target
Actual
from a sample dashboard that was created using the most popu-
Revenue
$913,394
lar dashboard product available today:
Profit
$193,865
Avg Order Size
$5,766
On Time Delivery
104%
New Customers
247
Cust Satisfaction
4.73
Market Share
19%
0%
50%
100%
150%
Rather than only three metrics, which appear in the previous
example, this example displays seven key metrics, and each has
been enriched with historical context and compared to perfor-
Let’s focus only on the center gauge for a moment. If you relied
mance targets, all in roughly the same amount of space. I hope
on this gauge to monitor the current state of quarter-to-date
that this single is enough to show that there is a world of differ-
sales, the value 7,822 YTD units, without additional context
ence between dashboards that look ﬂ ashy and those that give
would tell you little. Compared to what? Assuming that you
you the information that you need at a glance. For the full story, I
understand that a green needle on the gauge means that this
invite you to read my book, Information Dashboard Design: The
value is good (and you are not color blind, which 10% of men
Effective Visual Communication of Data, or to visit my website at
and 1% of women are), your next question ought to be, how
www.PerceptualEdge.com.
Copyright © 2007 Stephen Few, Perceptual Edge