5 Excel Dashboard Design Principles That You Must Follow

Introduction

Excel dashboards are an effective and popular way of displaying data in the business world, allowing users to quickly and easily view critical information at a glance. Dashboards allow people to quickly analyze data and draw conclusions to inform decisions, making them an invaluable tool for businesses of all sizes.

This blog post outlines five dashboard design principles that must be followed in order to ensure your dashboard has maximum impact, functionality and efficiency. Read on to learn more about these principles and how to incorporate them into your dashboards.

Principle 1: Layout Design

When creating a layout for an Excel dashboard, it is important to consider the top visual elements that should be used for the most important metrics. These elements should be well-structured and logically laid out to make it easier for users to understand. In addition, it is important to create groups of metrics that are related to make it more digestible. Lastly, ensure that each metric is clearly labeled to ensure users understand the data being presented.

Top Visual Elements

It is important to consider the most important metrics when designing an Excel dashboard. These metrics should be displayed prominently, such as in a table or graph. It is also important to ensure that the metrics are visually appealing to draw user’s attention.

Create Groups of Metrics

It is important to create groups of metrics that are logically associated to make it easier for users to comprehend. For example, a company’s revenue metrics might be grouped together, while employee metrics might be grouped together. This will make it easier for users to interpret the data.

Label Metrics

It is important to ensure that each metric is labeled correctly. This will help users to understand the data being presented in the dashboard. The labels should be clear and concise, and should include all relevant information.

Principle 2: Choose Your Visualizations

When choosing visualizations for your Excel dashboard, it’s important to use the right ones for the data you are trying to display. Using the right visualizations will ensure that your dashboard is easy to read, understand and digest. Here are some tips to consider when selecting the right visualizations for your Excel dashboards:

Utilize charts that are the most relevant to the data you are displaying

Make sure to use the most relevant type of charts for the data you are displaying. Pay attention to the number of variables being displayed and the types of data that you have. For example, if you are dealing with large datasets, using a chart like a scatter chart or a line chart is ideal. If you are dealing with smaller datasets, utilize charts like a bar chart, pie chart or column chart.

Use the consistent visualization to show the same type of data

When designing your Excel dashboard, it’s important to remain consistent with the format of the data your are presenting. Try to use the same type of visualization for the same type of data, this will ensure that your dashboard is visually appealing and easy to read. Using a variety of visualizations for the same type of data can make it difficult for the user to understand and interpret the data.

Visuals Should Be Easy to Read, Understand and Digest

Ensure that your visuals are optimized for legibility, making it easy for viewers to read, understand and digest the information quickly. Use the appropriate colors, font size and font type, along with the right contrast to make it easier for users to read the information. The data should be displayed clearly and concisely using the right visuals.

Principle 3: Color Scheme

Colors are a powerful tool for designing an effective dashboard. An appropriate color scheme should be used to help the reader quickly distinguish between important metrics. While it’s important to choose colors that convey the right meaning, it’s also important to make sure that the colors aren’t so strong that they distract the reader from the dashboard’s main message.

A. Colors should be used to help the reader distinguish between important metrics

The colors used within a dashboard should be used to help to differentiate between the different metrics, charts and other elements that are being presented. This helps the readers to quickly identify the most important data points, which improves their understanding of the important insights that the dashboard is trying to convey.

B. Color shading should be based off data values to draw the reader’s attention

In addition to helping the reader differentiate between different elements, color shading can also be used to draw the reader’s attention to certain data points or trends. For example, if the dashboard contains a heatmap, the reader should be able to quickly identify any areas with higher or lower value. Color can also be used to indicate growth and decline in key metrics.

C. Colors should also help the reader identify trends in the data

Colors can also be used to help the reader identify any interesting trends in the data. By using color, the reader can draw conclusions about the performance of the business more quickly and easily. For example, an increase in a key metric may be highlighted in green to make it easier for the reader to identify.

Principle 4: Keep It Simple

Organizing data into a dashboard can provide insights that can empower decision-making. Though dashboard design is important, it is not easy to navigate. As it plays an essential role in understanding the data, keeping it simple is of paramount importance. The following are a few strategy to keep your dashboard design simple.

A. Avoid using too many visuals on the dashboard

Dashboard visualizations should be used only where they are appropriate in order to maximize the user’s understanding of the data. Overcrowding your dashboard with visuals can lead to confusion instead of clarity. Make sure to only include the visuals that are absolutely necessary to represent the data.

B. Limit the dashboard complexity to ensure easy navigation

Dashboard design with easy navigation should be the ultimate goal in order to minimize confusion and make it easier to access the data. Paginating the dashboard is helpful to split the data into various sections that can be easily switched between. Reordering the visuals and reducing nested levels can also help to keep the dashboard simple and easy to navigate.

C. Visuals should be relevant, eliminate any visuals that are not necessary

It’s a good idea to review the visuals that are being used on the dashboard and to make sure that they are all relevant to the project. If any visuals are not necessary, they should be eliminated as they can add clutter to the dashboard and make it difficult for users to find the data they are looking for.

Principle 5: Make It Comprehensible

Dashboards should not be a source of confusion for users. To ensure that your dashboard is easy to understand, there are a few design principles that should be followed.

A. The dashboard should be easy to interpret and understand

Your dashboard should be designed in such a way that users can easily determine the meaning of each metric. Metrics should be clearly labeled and use language that is easy to understand. Avoid complicated terminology and lengthy explanations whenever possible.

B. Keep the dashboard organized so users can quickly locate a metric

Design your dashboard in a way that allows users to quickly and easily identify the location of a particular metric. Group related metrics together and include visual cues that make it easy to locate a particular metric.

C. Ensure there is an obvious explanation available for any metrics used

No matter how well-organized or easy your dashboard design is to understand, some metrics might still be difficult to comprehend without additional explanation. To remedy this, include an explanation of the metric on the dashboard itself. Alternatively, you can include a link to a help page that provides more detailed explanations for each metric.

Conclusion

Excel dashboard design needs to adhere to certain principles in order to be effective and to provide useful insights. A designer needs to consider the user's experience as well as the data that needs to be visualized. With the right design principles in place, such as using data hierarchy, design continuity, and clear visuals, an Excel dashboard can provide powerful insights into data.