Dashboard IT 7113 Data Visualization http://idi.kennesaw.edu/it7113/ J.G. Zheng Spring 2023 This lecture notes is hosted at https://www.edocr.com/v/oekl31vr/jgzheng/Dashboard Overview • What is a dashboard? • Elements of a dashboard • Types of dashboards – Comparing with report, visual analysis tool, and scorecard – Levels of dashboards • General design considerations and principles This lecture introduces dashboards and their use in various business cases. A second module will continue on dashboard design patterns and best practices. What is a dashboard? 3 http://visualnomics.com/ArabUprising/ Real-world public dashboard https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/inde x.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 https://www.fairfaxcounty.go v/demographics/fairfax- county-general-overview Dashboards from former student projects. Dashboard https://www.google.com/search ?q=dashboard&tbm=isch Dashboard 4 A dashboard is a visual-oriented display of the most important data and information needed to achieve defined goals and objectives; consolidated and arranged on a single screen so the information can be viewed at a glance. Adapted from Dashboard Confusion by Stephen Few http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/ie/dashboard_confusion.pdf The term “dashboard” originates from the automobile dashboard where drivers monitor the major functions at a glance. Features of Dashboards (Key Terms in the Definition) 5 Visual-oriented display • Dashboard is a data visualization tool • Dashboard is a type of graphic user interface • Dashboards are visually intensive, with many graphics, charts, maps, colors; but they could also have textual information. Most important data and information • Usually these are the key data, metrics, and performance indicators (KPI) that a user concerns most on a regular basis. • Because of the space limit, only the most important and relevant data are included in the dashboard Goals and objectives • A dashboard is part of a business intelligence and analytics tool used to visualize data and analysis results. • A dashboard serves a very clear goal; all data and information presented serve that goal. • There are different types of goals, for example, monitoring, analysis, reporting, exploration, and communication. Consolidated • The data (metrics) presented may come from multiple sources, analysis, and from different perspectives. • They are arranged on the same screen to provide an integrated view. Single screen (??) • Most dashboards should fit to one screen without excessive panning, zooming, and scrolling. • If there are more content needs to be placed beyond the screen, then they should be prioritized, and less important content can be displayed on-demand through various means such as using additional secondary dashboards. Some Other Terms • Dashboard sometimes is also called – Digital dashboard https://www.qlik.com/us/dashboard-examples/digital-dashboard – Data dashboard https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/articles/what-is-data-dashboard – Information dashboard https://www.amazon.com/Information-Dashboard-Design-Effective- Communication/dp/0596100167 – BI dashboard: https://searchbusinessanalytics.techtarget.com/definition/business- intelligence-dashboard – Or can be associated with a particular sector or usage, such as business dashboard, health dashboard, traffic dashboard, etc. • “Information Summary Dashboards” – a bit different – Dashboard as a more general term is used in • Many web portals or systems that offer an overview of the most important information that a user concerns, and commonly used as the landing page/screen of a site or application. • A collection of news and updates from a community or centered around a topic, used in many social monitoring purposes. – This kind of dashboards are less data centric but more informational. – They may include more textual information like alerts, recent activities, messages, updates, to-do list, user profiles, etc., and convenience functional blocks like quick search, inline actions. • The dashboards we concern in this lecture notes are more data driven, visualization intensive, interactive, and directly support data exploration, reporting, and decision making. 6 What Dashboard is NOT • NOT a one-time creation to display data – It is supposed to be used regularly and optimized for automated data feeding and update – Users of the dashboard eventually learn the dashboard and are familiar with the dashboard • NOT just a simple stack of charts – It is an integral user interface to show data and information – It is a whole piece • Serving a common goal • Consistent style and interaction • Organized and clean – It shows branding and organizational image • NOT a lengthy and detailed report – Keep it simple and focused with the most important data and information • NOT a place to showcase uniqueness and complexity – Simple and direct to help users navigate and analyze – Use standard or commonly-understood visualizations rather than unique ones 7 The Value of a Dashboard • Provides a one-place presentation of critical information, so users can quickly understand data and respond quickly at one place. – Saves time over running multiple reports. • Allows decision makers to see a variety of data that affects their divisions or departments – This allows decision makers to focus only on the items over which they have control – The dashboard is generally customized for each user • Allows all users to understand the analytics. For non- technical users, dashboards allow them to participate and understand the analytics process by compiling data and visualizing trends and occurrences. • More: http://www.bidashboard.org/benefits.html 8 8 Dashboard Uses • Dashboards are widely used in all businesses and organizations internally for various operation monitoring, performance management, and business intelligence/analytics activities at various levels: – Operations dashboard – Financial dashboard – Performance dashboard – Sales dashboard – Strategy dashboard – IT dashboard • Also commonly used for public information exploration and communication: – Public health: https://systems.jhu.edu/research/public-health/ncov/ – https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 – Education: https://gosa.georgia.gov/report-card-dashboards-data/data-dashboards – Government publication of information • https://www.itdashboard.gov • https://data.boston.gov/ • https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/demographics/fairfax-county-general-overview – System status: http://www.google.com/appsstatus – Politics: https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/president – Sports: https://www.atptour.com/en/stats – https://public.tableau.com/profile/dash7070#!/vizhome/SummerOlympicsDashboard/Dashboard2 • More examples – http://www.idashboards.com/solutions/ – https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/dashboard-examples ELEMENTS OF A DASHBOARD 10 Dashboard = Data/Information + Visual + UI Elements of a Dashboard • Data/Information – It’s the contents and insights delivered • Visual – Data visuals (charts, etc.) provide effective perception of data • User interface – User interface is the gateway to use a software application – A dashboard is a type of software application, or a part of a software application – a clean UI that unifies all elements to work together as a whole – supporting interactions as needed 11 Dashboard = Data/Information + Visual + UI Major Types of Data on a Dashboard • The data/information on a dashboard is what a user mostly concerns and would like to get that information quickly on a regular basis. • Metrics (or measures, indicators) – numerical values that directly reflect the status of an activity, such as sales, enrollment, etc., or calculated based on a formula • Key Performance Indicators (KPI) – A KPI is simply a metric that is tied to a target. Used intensively for performance related goals. • Textual information – (not typical but can be there) – see the example later 12 Metrics and KPIs may be a set of single values or grouped in a set to reveal more details and context • a single value that reflects a key metric, e.g. the profit and revenue of the latest quarter. or • a set of values to reflect trends, distributions, forecasts, or other kind of comparisons. Visualizations on a Dashboard • Dashboards are visually intensive by definition • A dashboard generally contains a variety of visual views of data, including: – Charts, diagrams, maps – Dashboard specific visuals such as KPI card, or standalone numbers: visualized with special formatting or contain embedded visuals. – Simple data tables: incorporating conditional formatting or other embedded visuals. • Not typically on a dashboard – Complex graphs and infographic techniques may be perfect for powerful presentation, but not always for a dashboard (especially business-oriented dashboard). – Complex tables with detailed and crowded data 13 13 Images from https://blog.itcentralstatio n.com/how-to- successfully-manage-bi- dashboard-projects/ A Dashboard Example 14 Originally from https://web.archive.org/web/20180825151532/http://www.dashboardinsight.com/articles/digital- dashboards/fundamentals/what-is-a-dashboard.aspx Hero Chart Dashboard Header: Logo, Title, etc. – an important UI element Standalone single-value KPI Embedded visual Textual info Simple table with embedded visuals Chart KPI Card Another Example 15 https://www.datapine.com/blog/interactive-dashboard-features/ Chart Dashboard Header Single performance value A not-too- complicated table with some details Chart A left-right even layout KPI Card KPI Card 16 • KPI card features a standalone styled numeric value – Commonly used for presenting important values like KPI (key performance indicator) • Styles and examples – Single number without much visual (maybe with some icon or title) https://datavizproject.com/data-type/number/ – Added context data https://www.geckoboard.com/blog/designing-and-building- dashboards-the-ultimate-guide-to-data-visualizations-part-2/ • KPI can also be presented using KPI performance charts or chart good for individual numbers like – Gauge chart https://datavizproject.com/data-type/angular-gauge-chart/ – Waffle chart https://datavizproject.com/data-type/percentage-grid/ – Bullet graph https://datavizproject.com/data-type/bullet-graph/ – Pie/donut chart – Progress bar https://datavizproject.com/data-type/progress-bar/ https://investor.bankofamerica.com/fixed-income Fixed Income Investor Materials 2022Q3 Card is Google’s term to describe a way to display multiple piece of data/information as a visually cohesive unit • A card is like a small space with more complex layout within. • A popular concept to design information presentation for web and mobile applications. • Reference: https://material.io/compo nents/cards/ Maps on Dashboards • Map is a very common visual component on location related dashboards • Map can be just like one of the charts on a dashboard – Example: http://visualnomics.com/ArabUprising/ • Or, it can be an enlarged main visual component that drives major data exploration and analysis. – Example: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/bda7594740fd4029 9423467b48e9ecf6 – https://d5t6zpljmdkvz.cloudfront.net/ • Or, it can occupy the complete screen – http://luminocity3d.org – https://www.globalforestwatch.org/map – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri5HyHp5-_I 17 User Interface • A dashboard is more than just charts! Dashboard is a type of graphical user interface; thus, it follows general UI design principles and best practices. • Key elements in dashboard user interface – Layout: the placement and arrangement of charts, cards, tables and other UI elements on the screen; header, footer, etc. – Navigation (menu) system: this includes in-page navigation and cross-page navigation – Styles and themes: font, color, design style, image, logo, icons, background, etc. 18 UI Features Example 19 Dashboard Header: Title, User, Action Buttons, etc. A 3 by 3 grid layout A set of dashboard, each with a focus Main menu with links to other contents. Action buttons for general app functionalities https://searchbusinessanalytics.techtarget.com/definition/business-intelligence-dashboard App name: the app embodies the dashboard How about Interactivity? • Interactivity is the capability to support user input actions that may dynamically change the view of the dashboard. – Interaction can be viewed as part of UI, generally; but some people view UI is more static. • A dashboard may not be interactive at all, although many modern dashboards provide interaction features. • Typical interactions – Select options – Set parameter values – Filter and sort data – Drill-up, drill-down, drill-across – View switching – Zoom-in and zoom-out – Hover to get details in a pop-up 20 Interactivity will be covered with more details in module 10. DASHBOARD TYPES 21 Levels/Types of Dashboards Operational – monitoring: Operational real time view of important indicators. Tactical – analysis or data exploration: Provides optimized UI and information seeking and navigation feature among data and metrics to support data exploration or analysis. Strategic – decision support: As a high-level summary; may be at the top executive level (strategic) or departmental (tactical) levels. 22 Image from http://prezi.com/qvhyfup5z7yz/dashboard-design-making-reports-pop/ More about dashboard levels: • https://www.datapine.com/blog/strategic-operational-analytical-tactical-dashboards/ • http://www.bidashboard.org/types.html • http://www.klipfolio.com/resources/articles/operational-analytical-bi-dashboards Each of them shares common attributes of dashboards (data + visualization + UI), but each of them has some different purpose, data, and design best practices. Operational Dashboard • Operational dashboards display real time or near real time data that facilitate the operational side of a business, monitoring operational activities and statuses as they are happening. • Features – Important operational indicators are often based on real-time or near real-time data. – Features a few indicators rather than lots of detailed data – Focus on current status or performance – Action oriented: enable to alert or address issues in time • Examples – https://status.azure.com/en-us/status – http://status.aws.amazon.com/ – https://status.cloud.google.com and https://www.google.com/appsstatus/dashboard/ – https://www.klipfolio.com/gallery/dashboards/google-analytics-daily-overview – https://www.atptour.com/en/rankings – https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/dashboard-examples/sales – https://finviz.com/map.ashx – https://www.usdebtclock.org/world-debt-clock.html • Most of the operational software include their own dashboard modules. The use of this module bypasses the problem of load time, but normally with a loss of functionality. • The design of this type of dashboards usually focuses on highly important metrics with simple visuals. Common examples include services status monitoring (call center, reservation, etc.), inventory monitoring, server up-time and utilization, etc. 23 Analytical Dashboard • Analytical dashboard is a tactical level dashboard, focusing on presenting (visualizing) analytical techniques and results. – Tactical level: mainly support business process and analysis at or across a specific functional level over a period. It is primarily used for intensive data exploration and analysis, used by data analysts and researchers. – Main purpose: the purpose is to analyze data and explore patterns through an interactive process. The dashboard usually centers around a key topic or question, providing more details and context (comparison, history, forecast, benchmarking, etc.) – It supports various analytical methods including high level analytics such as what if, trending, forecasting, etc. This is a bit different from traditional dashboards, which are primarily used for quick scanning and understating of key metrics. – Some separately categorizes it as “visual analysis tools” rather than a type of dashboard. Nonetheless, the design of analytical dashboards is similar to general dashboards to focus on data, visualization, and UI design. • UI and functional features – Very often, there is a main visualization, which is usually a single (or a set of) component that occupies a big portion of the screen as the main UI component, with a large number of data points visualized. Users’ major activity will be repeatedly setting parameters and examining the dynamically updated visuals. – The visualization may be more complex with multiple visual layers – It provides abundant parameter settings, selections, user inputs, and other UI controls to manipulate the data and visualizations. The number of parameter setting combinations can be quite big. – It is not just to visual key metrics, but to visualize patterns, trends, and other complex relationships among data. – It uses large amount of detailed level data. – It is highly interactive: it fits on one screen, but there are methods to get to additional spaces like zooming, scrolling, pop-up, or navigate to additional pages or screens. – Some may provide ad-hoc querying and dynamic visualization generation 24 Analytical Dashboard Examples • More examples – https://www.tradingview.com/chart/ – https://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=XOM – http://almuthmerkel.com/SMEX/ – https://www.visualcalc.com/retirement-planning – https://www.informationisbeautifulawards.com/showcase/4115-2018-fifa-world-cup-match- explorer 25 https://www.tradingview.com/chart/ Big main visual area Interactive visual analytical tools Large number of data points Additional descriptive details Detailed data at hand Lots of indicators and metrics Data/Info Exploration Dashboard • Focusing on interactive exploration of large and complex data sets from multiple perspectives, but less analytical capabilities – Also provide abundant parameters and filters – Usually with a visual/chart or map that can show a large number of items, commonly used chart type include scatter plot/perceptual map, and map – Accompanied or supplemented by a data table – Data are more descriptive (displaying common KPIs, not calculation or analytical methods.) – Many are considered dashboard style reports – It is highly interactive and usually provides abundant settings and configurations (for adjusting factors and parameters) including filtering or sorting options. 26 Originally from https://www.georgiainsights.com/georgia-school-closures.html • Examples – https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/10/nba-stats- and-player-projections/ – https://www.georgiainsights.com/esser- budget.html – https://georgiainsights.gadoe.org/Dashboards/ Pages/Literacy.aspx – Google public data explorer https://www.google.com/publicdata/directory – https://www.gapminder.org/tools/#$chart- type=bubbles – https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/global- food – https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavir us-data-explorer – Map based: • https://d5t6zpljmdkvz.cloudfront.net/ • http://luminocity3d.org/WorldCity – https://www.productchart.com/smartphones/ – https://finviz.com/map.ashx – https://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?d s=j0r9lucsi4q1d_ – https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/levy2725 /viz/2015-163-and-D-ness/Dashboard1 – https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/harshit.s hah/viz/AdventureWorks- SalesDashboard/Dashboard1 Example of Exploratory Style Dashboard 27 https://finviz.com/bubbles.ashx Many settings and choices. Large quantity of data points for exploration More details on hovering on any circle. Strategic (Executive) Dashboard • Summary/overview dashboards provides high level summary of business performance indicated by KPIs. – Strategic dashboard is a typical example of summary/overview dashboard at the strategic or executive level, which specifically concerns about high-level overview of the state of the business and strategy goals; and used for strategy planning and development. • Features – Monitor the execution of strategic goals and summary of high-level reports, commonly using balanced scorecards or a strategy map – typically provide the KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) that a companies executive team track on a periodic (daily, weekly or monthly basis). – a high-level overview of the state of the business together with the opportunities the business faces. – This dashboard typically provides less detail or context than other dashboards. – This dashboard type is not good for more complex why and how questions because it is not good for exploratory analytics. • Commonly used visual forms in performance dashboards – Traffic lights coloring system – KPI card – Other performance charts like bullet chart or gauge • Two typical examples – Executive KPI dashboard – Strategy map dashboard 28 KPI Dashboard • KPI dashboard is a kind of strategic dashboard centered around KPIs. – It provides simple and direct views of KPIs without complex charts or much interactivity. – May use KPI cards, KPI tables, scorecard tables, or set of bullet graphs or gauges. • Examples: – https://www.boston.gov/cityscore – https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/adam.e.mccann/viz/5TypesofDashboards/1KPIDashb oard 29 https://public.tableau.com/profile/adam.e. mccann#!/vizhome/5TypesofDashboards/ 1KPIDashboard Strategy Map Dashboard • A strategy map is a diagram that shows your organization's strategy on a single page. It’s great for quickly communicating big-picture objectives to everyone in the company. – https://balancedscorecards.com/strateg y-map/ • A strategy map dashboard can visualize balanced scorecard systems 30 https://www.kpisuite.com/en/kpisuite-platform/sbalansirovannaya- sistema-pokazatele/ Other Types of Dashboard • Real time dashboard – https://www.usdeb tclock.org/world- debt-clock.html • Refer to http://duelingdata. blogspot.com/201 9/01/5-types-of- dashboards.html 31 Choosing Dashboards based on Business Reporting Requirements Business Questions Implications Operational Dashboards Strategic Dashboards Analytical Dashboards What business problem(s) we are trying to solve? Identify what is driving the need for a dashboard solution and to define the scope of the project. Data awareness and time sensitive data Top-line organizational KPIs Trends or deeper insights Who will be using the dashboards? Design, features and required training will change based on the role of the dashboard user. Line of business managers; business users Executives; Directors Business analysts; data analysts; executives What gaps exist in our performance? The identification of gaps can be used to develop a set of metrics that will be used as the basis for the development of the dashboard. Intra-daily performance. Monthly, quarterly performance Performance issues, weekly performance What are our goals? Before developing metrics, it becomes important to identify what you hope to achieve by using dashboards as well as align those goals to the department’s or company’s overall strategy. Employee awareness and tracking against goals Strategic goals, such as achieving KPI targets Analytics goals, such as visibility into key process 32 https://www.klipfolio.com/choosing-the-right-dashboard-report Dashboard Alternatives • There are three tools that are similar to dashboards and also use visualizations heavily 1. Report 2. Scorecard 3. Visual analysis/exploration tool • Many of the above can be considered some style of dashboard with a different focus. • Some differences are summarized in the article “What is a dashboard” – https://web.archive.org/web/20180825151532/http:// www.dashboardinsight.com/articles/digital- dashboards/fundamentals/what-is-a- dashboard.aspx 33 Report • Traditional reports contain detailed data in a tabular format and typically display numbers and text only. – It is geared towards people who need data rather than a direct understanding or interpretation of data. – Its purpose is mainly for printing (with style and themes for presentation or communication) or exporting (raw data). • Modern reports can be interactive/dynamic (with filters and drill-downs) and visual intensive; but the focus is still on metrics and detailed data. Reports also do not emphasize one- screen requirement. • Typical report examples: – https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/file/2023/02/Boston_COVID-19_Vaccination_Report_03Feb23.pdf – https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/voo – https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2023-us-midsize-suv-sales-figures/ – https://www.usaspending.gov/state/alabama/latest – https://schoolgrades.georgia.gov/kittredge-magnet-school – http://www.crazybikes.com/mrc/CRAZYBIKES.R00090s – https://www.trueup.io/layoffs – https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/10/nba-stats-and-player-projections/ • Visual intensive report – https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-status-report – https://simplywall.st/stocks/us/media/nasdaq-googl/alphabet – https://www.boston.gov/government/cabinets/boston-public-health-commission/covid-19-boston#wastewater-reports 34 Report or Dashboard? • Modern report are also very interactive and visual intensive. Sometimes the distinction is a bit blurred in some practical cases. • A dashboard-style “report”, or a report-style “dashboard”, tries to present data in one screen just like a dashboard (a data exploration dashboard) but with a focuses on data exploration and communication rather than monitoring and decision support – It mimics the dashboard one-screen style, but it mainly presents detailed data. – Examples – https://www.georgiainsights.com/esser-budget.html – https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/dash7070/viz/SummerOlympicsDashb oard/Dashboard2 • Dashboard or report? – https://www.cityhealthdashboard.com/ga/atlanta/city-overview – https://www.itdashboard.gov/itportfoliodashboard – https://analytics.boston.gov/app/imagine-boston – https://www.georgiainsights.com/technology-inventory.html 35 Scorecards • A scorecard is special type of dashboard typically with a tabular display of measures/KPIs and their respective targets with visual indicators to see how each measure is performing against their targets at a glance. – Scorecards are mainly used for performance monitoring with data directly related to measure, target, status etc. – Because of its uniqueness, it is viewed by some as special type of dashboard when used independently. • Key characteristics – Scorecards are mainly used for performance monitoring with data directly related to measure, target, status etc. – It mainly uses a tabular layout with embedded visuals like conditional formatting, sparklines (line, bar, or bullet graphs). – Limited interactivity (mainly on filtering and sorting to find score items) – It is commonly used in another tool like dashboards and visual analysis tools. • More information – https://web.archive.org/web/20180517172348/http://www.dashboardinsight.com/articles/digital- dashboards/fundamentals/a-closer-look-at-scorecards-and-dashboards.aspx 36 Example of Scorecard Style Dashboard 37 Scorecard section (with KPIs listed) Additional data on the right Typical comparisons to targets Extreme Scorecard • An actual example of a giant score card (blurred to hide details) 38 Visual Analysis Tool • A visual analysis tool is functionally similar to an analytical dashboard – Also provides a lot of user selections, parameters, analytical tools, etc. – Also uses charts and other visuals to present results – Some uses visualizations intensively to drive data analysis (termed as visual analytics). • But it may not look like a dashboard or not arranged as a dashboard – Generally, do not have to be one screen – May embedded with other content or applications • Example – https://dqydj.com/net-worth-by-age-calculator-united-states/ – https://www.visualcalc.com/retirement-planning 39 Designing and Building Dashboards • Elements of Dashboard Design: the design of the dashboard involves these six elements: – Goals and objectives definition – Data/information design – Visualization design – UI design – Interaction design – Supporting features (non-functional) design – +1 Technology and tool selection • The design of dashboard applications share many principles in general UI design – clarity, efficiency, simplicity, consistency 40 The next learning module will cover more about dashboard design principles, patterns, and development best practices. • https://www.edocr.com/v/9oqqr zoo/jgzheng/designing- dashboards • https://www.edocr.com/v/pb9del zd/jgzheng/dashboard-layout Attributes of a Good Dashboard • Content – Data and metrics are the focus, not visuals – Provide relevant context and different perspectives • Layout and position – One page/screen fit – Clean and organized layout with clear logical groupings – Guide user focus and attention using pre-attentive and Gestalt principles – Apply layout and positing conventions • Simplicity – “The world of data visualization is changing rapidly, with the trend to use complex graphs and infographic techniques to visualize information in an impactful way. Also the concept of big data is changing our relationship with the world of information. That’s perfect for powerful presentation, but not always for a dashboard.” originally from http://blog.itcentralstation.com/how-to-successfully-manage-bi-dashboard-projects/ – Same as charts: don’t cram and jam, dense but not cluttered • Style – Beautiful (but not necessarily colorful); with a theme or style – The dashboard needs to be integrated into the organization, so it is important to consider corporative aspects: logos, colors, fonts, menu, etc. Are there similar systems? If so, use a similar look and feel. 41 The next dashboard module will cover more about dashboard design principles and layout patterns and best practices. Dashboard Tools • Many visualization tools and BI tools supports the creation of dashboards. • Enterprise BI platforms usually provide dashboard service as part of the platform as well – SQL Server Reporting Service, Cognos, Microstrategy, ArcGIS, etc. • Visual analysis tools featuring a dashboard component – Tableau, Power BI, Qlik View, Spotfire, Klipfolio, etc. • Programming libraries and frameworks – https://plot.ly/dash/ • Cloud services focusing on reporting and dashboards – iDashboard, Dundas, DataPine, Zoho • Excel is just versatile and flexible to do many things – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWyGM2KejT4 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrho2x6rSNA 42 Extended reading: https://www.datapine.com/articles/best-dashboard-software-features Differentiating Dashboard Products • The MAD (Monitor-Analyze-Detail) framework generally corresponds to the 3 levels of dashboard – https://resources.useready.com/blog/mad-framework-for-actionable-dashboards/ • It can be used to differentiate and select dashboard products 43 Image originally from http://www.b-eye- network.com/blogs/eckerson/archives/2011/07/differentiating.php IT’s Role in Dashboard Development • Many self-service BI and dashboard tools provide easy to use tools for power users to create their own dashboards quickly • Traditional centralized IT is alleviated but still needed – Manage and admin dashboard systems, or BI/reporting systems that contains a dashboard sub- systems – Professional dashboard design and development for average users – Train users how to use dashboard – Provide necessary technical support for power users to create ad hoc dashboards 44 Key Readings and Resources • What is a Data Dashboard? Definition, Benefits, and Examples https://databox.com/data-dashboard • Stephen Few Dashboard Confusion: http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/ie/dashboard _confusion.pdf • What is a dashboard? https://web.archive.org/web/20180825151532/http:// www.dashboardinsight.com/articles/digital- dashboards/fundamentals/what-is-a-dashboard.aspx • The Difference Between Strategic, Analytical, Operational And Tactical Dashboards https://www.datapine.com/blog/strategic-operational- analytical-tactical-dashboards/ Additional Good Resources • Introduction articles – https://adniasolutions.com/dashboard-design-principles/introduction-to-dashboards/ – https://www.tableau.com/learn/articles/dashboards/what-is – https://www.klipfolio.com/blog/what-is-a-data-dashboard – https://www.datapine.com/blog/digital-dashboard-definition-and-examples/ – https://www.datapine.com/blog/interactive-dashboard-features/ – https://dataschool.com/how-to-design-a-dashboard/what-is-a-dashboard/ • Books – “Information Dashboard Design” 2nd, by Stephen Few, 2013, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1938377001/ – “Business Dashboards: A Visual Catalog for Design and Deployment”, by Nils Rasmussen, et al. ,Wiley, 2009, ISBN 0470413476 – How to Design a Dashboard https://dataschool.com/how-to-design-a-dashboard/ • More examples – https://www.idashboards.com/solutions/ – https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/dashboard-examples – https://www.geckoboard.com/learn/dashboard-examples/ – https://www.datapine.com/dashboard-examples-and-templates/ • Learning resources – https://www.tableau.com/solutions/business-dashboards – https://www.klipfolio.com/resources – http://www.perceptualedge.com/library.php – http://www.bidashboard.org – https://www.interaction-design.org/courses/information-visualization-getting-dashboards-right • Dashboard design – Dashboard design: https://www.geckoboard.com/best-practice/dashboard-design/ – IT 7113 Lecture notes • https://www.edocr.com/v/9oqqrzoo/jgzheng/designing-dashboards • https://www.edocr.com/v/pb9delzd/jgzheng/dashboard-layout – https://www.justinmind.com/ui-design/dashboard-design-best-practices-ux 46