The Evolution of Dashboards
October 30, 2011 7:51 am Analytics, Dashboards, Data VisualizationDashboards are a visual representation of a complex set of data representing the state of performance of an organization, so that it may be viewed at a glance.
The last decade has seen a slow but perceptible evolution in dashboards.
What started out as simply a graphical form of report, is now being used very effectively as a performance management tool. The very exercise to filter down KPI to a succinct set helps the organization focus on what is really important. However, this is where many of the weaknesses in dashboard arise. With ever increasing regulatory reporting requirements, I am seeing more and more organizations focus too much on reporting KPI required by external bodies – rather than those KPI that better reflect a usable trend in performance.
Dashboard tools have also spurned an evolution in the way dashboards are developed. Early generation dashboards were hard coded by IT, static and overwhelmed with too much data and poor visual design. Updates were infrequent and query response times too long to be practical for rapid management. Today, we see dynamic dashboards built in just a few days that can be user developed, are dynamic and are slowly starting to incorporate Gestalt principles of visual perception, making the design more effective.
Updates in near real time and fast query response times make today’s dashboard a highly effective management tool.
Advanced visualization is no longer the domain of a few business analysts – it is now an effective tool that over 90 percent of employees can use to improve their productivity and job satisfaction. Users are gradually embracing the rapid insight these BI tools make possible, and are learning more about their business through the effective use of data.
Visual discovery tools with dashboard capabilities such as Tableau, TIBCO Spotfire, and Advizor Solutions are supporting deeper exploration of business insight.
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