The benefits of using dashboards while dealing with data are apparent. This is a win-win tool for effectively and aesthetically presenting vital indications. Dashboards enable you to simplify the perception of complicated data bunches, analyze the current state of affairs, and produce business reports in only a few clicks. Dashboards, in other words, reveal the secret, freeing up valuable man-hours that you can spend on solving important issues, and not on entering numbers into endless tables.
What are the benefits of dashboards beyond that? How to create your own dashboard? We’ll tell you below.
Dashboard theory in a nutshell
A dashboard is an interactive panel that displays critical information on a single screen. In reality, we used dashboards nearly from infancy. Yes, a thermometer that monitors your fever; a clock; a speedometer needle that has beyond 200 km/h – all of these gadgets are fundamentally dashboards or their elements.
In business, a dashboard is a system that not only shows data but is also able to analyze it, making business processes in a company simpler and more structured.
Let’s say you need to figure ROI. You can collect a report in Excel, or you can upload it to a dashboard – and the program will automatically calculate the final indicator.
The dashboard can be used in any business area: internet marketing, sales, delivery and production control, task scheduling, etc. It also helps to analyze employees’ salaries, attendance of online and offline stores, results of training, or performance indicators like KPI.
A dashboard is essentially an infographic on reports that shows up-to-date and objective information on certain data. With its help, indicators from analytics systems, spreadsheets, CRM, social networks, and databases are pulled into one system. With this summarized information, you can improve business processes in the company and predict its development.
The main dashboard goals are:
- Simplification of the report visualization process.
- Combining various indicators into a single structured system.
- Create a data hierarchy.
- Identification of critical points that slow down business processes.
- Risk prevention.
- Analysis of the existing strategy and development of a new one.
- Identification of a problem leading to losses for the company.
- Choice of management decision.
Thus, the essence of the dashboard is to create a simple system from complex and disparate reports and data.
Where to create a dashboard?
The wisest decision would be to give the creation of the tool you need to third-party companies offering dashboard design services. However, if you don’t have the time or funds to do this, try creating it yourself using the following platforms.
#1. Google Analytics
Google’s most beloved web analytics platform uses a widget system to customize dashboards. There are some options you can choose from: import the dashboard from Google’s library, get a clear dashboard, or the one with default widgets.
Basic dashboards can be modified and customized to give you an effective dashboard that shows all the data you wish.
#2. Google Data Studio
Google’s popular tool allows users to easily construct dashboards and view data from many sources. Currently, Google Data Studio supports about 20 Google and 138 Partner connectors.
#3. Microsoft Power BI
One of the most preferred data visualization programs among large companies. It’s available both in desktop and mobile versions, which is very convenient for checking data on the go. Power BI allows you to design and share dashboards, and the interface of its applications is understandable to everyone.
Wrap up
The dashboard is a convenient and multifunctional tool for tracking and analyzing data. It will suit any business and will significantly reduce the time for creating reports.
