Dashboard design

Data dashboards provide key information to stakeholders so that they can make informed decisions. While there are plenty of software solutions for building these essential data products, there is much less guidance on how to design dashboards to meet the diverse needs of users.

This course is for anyone who is building or implementing dashboards, and wants to know more about design principles and best practice. You could be using business intelligence software (such as Power BI or Tableau), or implementing bespoke solutions.

The course will give your team the ability to evaluate user needs and levels of understanding, make informed decisions about chart selections, and make effective use of interactivity dynamic data.

We’ll work with you before the course to ensure that we understand your organisation and what you’re hoping to achieve.

Sample learning content

Session 1: Data with a purpose

  • Understanding the different types of dashboard.

  • Information overload and other common dashboard pitfalls.

  • Assessing user needs and levels of data fluency.

Session 2: Planning a dashboard

  • Assessing diverse user needs and levels of data fluency.

  • Taking a User Experience (UX) approach to design and navigation.

  • Applying an interative and collaborative approach to onboarding.

Session 3: Graphs, charts and dials

  • Understanding how graphical perception informs chart choices.

  • Making intelligent design choices to help users explore.

  • Design principles for layout and navigation.

Session 4: Using interactivity

  • Making effective use of filters to slice and dice data sets.

  • Using layers of information to enable drilldown data exploration.

  • Complenting dashboards with automated alerts and queries.

Delivery

We deliver our courses over Zoom, to maximise flexibility. The training can be delivered in a single day, or across multiple sessions. All of our courses are live and interactive – every session includes a mix of formal tuition and hands-on exercises.

Tutor

Alan Rutter is the founder of Fire Plus Algebra. He is a specialist in communicating complex subjects through data visualisation, writing and design. He teaches for General Assembly and runs in-house training for public sector clients including the Home Office, the Department of Transport, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Health Foundation, and numerous local government and emergency services teams. He previously worked with Guardian Masterclasses on curating and delivering new course strands, including developing and teaching their B2B data visualisation courses. He oversaw the iPad edition launches of Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue in the UK, and has worked with Condé Nast International as product owner on a bespoke digital asset management system for their 11 global markets.

Testimonial

“Alan was great to work with, he took us through the concepts behind data visualisation which means our team is now equipped for the future. He has a wide range of experience across the topic that is delivered in a clear, concise and friendly manner. We look forward to working with Alan again in the future.”

John Masterson | Chief Product Officer | ImproveWell