Best Practices for Designing Excel Dashboards

Introduction

Excel Dashboards are documents composed of various charts and diagrams that are used for data visualization. They provide users with an easy and effective way to track performance, compare KPIs, and make data-driven decisions. Excel Dashboards are considered to be one of the most powerful and versatile tools in the digital age and have grown to become an integral part of business and organizations.

Given the significance of Excel Dashboard designs, it is essential to adopt best practices in order to maximize their effectiveness. In this blog post, we will explore the best practices that can be used to design and implement Excel Dashboards.

Factors to Consider

When designing an Excel dashboard, there are several important factors to consider. These factors may range from the branding of the dashboard, to its user interface and degree of customization, and more.

Branding

When designing an Excel dashboard, it is important to ensure that it is branded - that it fits with the branding of the organization or project. Whether it is a pre-set color scheme or style guidelines, imputing the branding elements of the company or project into the dashboard is essential.

User Interface

Additionally, it is important to ensure that the user interface is user-friendly and customizable. The interface should be simple enough that a user can quickly & easily access the information they are looking for without being overwhelmed by the dashboard. Further, users should be able to customize their dashboard to best suit their individual needs.

Customization

Finally, the dashboard should also be customizable as to minimize clutter and give users the ability to personalize their experience. When designing an Excel dashboard, it is important to keep this in mind, as users may have different preferences and customizations to adjust the dashboard to the information they are interested in.

Designing the Perfect Dashboard

Creating an effective Excel dashboard for a business or project is the key to gathering data quickly and accurately into a format that is easy to understand and interpret. To design the perfect dashboard, there are several best practices that should be taken into account, such as prioritizing information, formatting cells, and using visualizations.

Prioritizing Information

The most important step when creating an effective dashboard is prioritizing the information. It is best practice to put the highest priority information, such as important figures, calculations, or key performance indicators (KPIs) as the main focus. This should be done without cluttering up the report. Once the focal point is established, it is important to group other information that users should be aware of, such as best practices or secondary data.

Formatting of Cells

When formatting the dashboard, it is important to use the correct font and color schemes to help users focus on the most important information. The same color should be maintained for all the information that is being presented. Additionally, borders, grid lines, and fonts should all be kept consistent to help users focus on essential data.

Visuals

Finally, the use of visuals to present data can be a great way to communicate the message quickly. Visuals such as charts, graphs and presentations can provide an efficient way to communicate complex data.

• Charts – Pie or bar charts are the most common way to visualize data. They offer a great way to clearly and quickly organize data in any dashboard.
• Graphs – Graphs are a powerful way to visually represent data over time and can offer valuable insight on trends or changes.
• Presentation Slides – Slides provide an effective way to communicate the message of the dashboard quickly and in a concise manner.

Design Tips

Excel dashboards are an important factor in data visualization and analysis. Ensuring that your Excel dashboard is properly designed is key to achieving the best results. Here are some design tips that you can use to make sure your dashboard looks great.

Choosing the Right Colors

Colors play a major role in the overall design of your Excel dashboard. You want to use colors that are consistent and that convey the right message. Choose colors that are complementary and bring out the best in the data. Avoid using too many colors, as this can make the dashboard difficult to interpret.

Aligning Elements

Alignment is also important when it comes to creating Excel dashboards. All elements should be properly aligned, both horizontally and vertically. This will help keep the data organized and easy to interpret. Additionally, make sure that fonts and sizes are consistent throughout the dashboard.

Consistency

Finally, it’s important to make sure that your Excel dashboard is consistent. This means making sure that all elements are consistent throughout the dashboard, no matter what page the user is on. This will make it easier for users to find what they are looking for and make sure that the data is being interpreted correctly.

Security

When designing an Excel dashboard, security should be taken into consideration. Dashboards may contain confidential data and require password protection and access controls. Below are the best practices for providing security for Excel Dashboards.

Password Protection

Password protection will keep access to the dashboard restricted only to those people that are supposed to be viewing the dashboard. Users will need the password to open the dashboard, preventing unauthorized access by others. It is important to use a strong password and take extra precautions to ensure the dashboard is not left unlocked on a shared computer.

Access Controls

Establishing access controls is a great way to prevent data leaks and unwanted access to the dashboard. Access controls allow users to set different levels of permissions and revoke or add access rights. With access controls, users can sand specific areas that are to be hidden or restricted from certain users or groups. Users can set rights for different groups, such as managers and employees, to access different levels of information.

Additionally, users should limit editing, deleting, and creating functions for the dashboard. Excel’s Custom Views feature is a great tool for granting access to specific data with restricted permissions. Furthermore, users can also use add-ons, such as Tableau, to increase security and control access.

Testing

When designing an Excel dashboard, testing for errors and user feedback is an essential best practice. Both of these processes can ensure that your dashboard is implemented as effectively as possible by making sure all of the content is accurate and user friendly.

Identifying and Catching Errors

Testing Excel dashboards can help identify potential bugs or errors. It is important to double-check your dashboard’s data to make sure that it is accurate. You should also check that your computer system is compatible with the dashboard, to make sure it will run properly. After that, you can check all of the individual elements of the dashboard – such as the formulas, visual representations and graphs – to make sure they are functioning properly.

User Testing

User testing can also be a useful tool for debugging your dashboard. User testing involves gathering feedback from a variety of users to make sure that your dashboard is both effective and user-friendly. During user testing, you should ask your testers to note any features that are difficult to understand or areas where discrepancies exist.

User testing can be a great way to ensure that the dashboard's design is accessible to a wide variety of users. Additionally, users can provide valuable insights that you may have overlooked when creating the dashboard. By taking the time to gather this feedback, you can ensure that your intended message is conveyed as effectively as possible.

Conclusion

When it comes to designing an effective and useful Excel dashboard, a few best practices should be kept in mind. By following the guidance outlined above, users should be able to create an effective and user-friendly dashboard that can provide valuable insights and helpful data visualizations.

Summarizing Best Practices

As outlined in this article, the best practices for creating an Excel dashboard involve keeping the design clean and simple. An effective dashboard should have clearly labeled components, a clear hierarchy, and relevant data points. Other factors, such as the use of graphs and tables, can also be beneficial in helping to effectively convey information.

The Benefit of a Well-Designed Dashboard

Ultimately, a well-designed Excel dashboard can help users to quickly and clearly understand the data that is being presented. This efficient data-visualization can help users to make data-driven decisions, enabling them to take action quickly and accurately. Ultimately, these decisions lead to improved efficiency and productivity.