02 / DASHBOARDSDashboard that helps you make decisionsIvan TishchenkoOctober 16, 20262 min readA lot of graphs does not mean a lot of benefits. A good dashboard helps you notice a change, understand its cause, and choose the next action.Illustration for the article · created using AIStart with the user and the solutionA manager may be interested in general dynamics, a manager may be interested in specific applications, and an analyst may be interested in comparing segments. One screen rarely solves all three problems equally well. First, identify the primary user and how often they interact with the data.A useful formulation is: “Every morning the manager sees overdue requests and decides who to write to first.” From it, the required fields, sorting and action are immediately clear. The wording “We will show all the company data” does not set priorities.Agree on what the indicators meanRevenue from payments and revenue from invoices are different indicators. An active client can also be defined in different ways. Before development, you need to describe the calculation, source, time zone and rules for accounting for returns or cancellations.If definitions disagree, a beautiful interface will not resolve the dispute. It's helpful to provide a short explanation next to a complex metric, and for important results, an option to drill down to the original records.First the main thing, then the detailsAt the top level, leave the indicators by which decisions are made. Next, show the dynamics and comparison with the previous period, and below - the details. Don't force a person to look for one problematic claim among dozens of decorative diagrams.Filters should be visible, and the selected period should be unambiguous. When changing the filter, keep the context clear: the user should see what data each digit refers to. Use color for meaning, not to decorate all elements at once.Empty and outdated data is also a conditionDistinguish between “value is zero”, “data is still loading” and “source unavailable”. Show the time of the last update. If some of the sources did not respond, do not pass off an incomplete result as the final result.Before starting, check access restrictions, large volume of rows, lack of data for a period, and operation on a small screen. Start with one working scenario and a few agreed upon metrics. Expanding a useful tool is easier than redesigning an overloaded screen.Development of custom dashboards ↗YOUR IDEA / NEXT STEPShall we discuss your project?Tell me what you want to do. Let's analyze the problem and determine where to start.Contact me ↗NEXT ARTICLEWhat to think about before developing a Telegram bot↗← All articles