Developing Analyst Dashboards
Session Description
Give your users power to discover hidden insights in their data rather than forcing them to focus on navigation. Develop a dashboard with hover, drilldowns, filters
and smart controls.
“As single-screen displays, dashboards do not always provide all the information needed to perform a job or to pursue a particular set of objectives. They can provide the initial overview…, but they need to be supplemented with additional information for more comprehensive understanding and response. Dashboards should almost always be designed for interaction.”
--Stephen Few (2006, Information Dashboard Design, O’Reilly)
Types of Dashboard Interaction
Drill down – from a higher level to more detail
Drill across – move laterally through your data
Slice and Dice – Select a smaller portion of data
Filter – Simplify by removing the data of lesser interest
Principles of Dashboard Interaction
Direct – initiate action by clicking on the data itself
Discoverable – hover, highlighting, underline
Lightweight – Update smallest possible object (KPI)
Stay on the Page whenever possible
Consistent – symmetry of interaction
Request Variables
Controls •Name and value
•User Specified
Graphs, Maps, etc.
•Auto-generated for each drilldown
•User Specified
Tables •Auto-generated for each drilldown
•User Specified
Drilldown Action Cycle
Demo: Where are we starting?
Demo: What should we change?
1. Reduce the amount of data
Demo: What should we change?
1. Reduce the amount of data
- Date selector
Demo: What should we change?
1. Reduce the amount of data
- Date selector
- Country selector
Demo: What should we change?
1. Reduce the amount of data
- Date selector
- Country selector
2. Compare one month with another
Three ways to select countries
1. List control
2. Tables with html checkboxes for each item in table
3. Layout with server script to create cells and CenterView checkboxes
Select countries - List
List control – Multiple select with control click
Select countries - List
1. Advanatages
a.Datafunnel connects directly
b.CenterView control
c. Output of control can be used directly
2. Disadvantages
a.Hard for some users to control click
b.Requires Server Script to select all items
Select countries – Table Checkboxes
Tables with html checkboxes for each item in table
Select countries – Table Checkboxes
1. Advanatages
a.Datafunnel connects directly
b.Full formatting capabilities of tables
c. Checkbox easy for all users
2. Disadvantages
a.Not CenterView controls – requires Server Script to set policy
b.Requires Server Script to evaluate settings
Select countries – Layout Checkboxes
Layout with server script to create cells and CenterView checkboxes
Select countries – Table Checkboxes
1. Advanatages
a. Checkboxes easy for all users
b.CenterView controls
2. Disadvantages
a.Requires Server Script to generate controls
b.Requires Server Script to evaluate settings
c. Formatting limited
Q & A