Slides from my talk at the World Information Architecture day (2015) at Ann Arbor. This talk was about the life lessons I learnt from designing dashboards, and how these lessons can help you in making your users happy.

1. lessons from
dashboard design.
Source: Geckoboard

2. break
conventions.

3. Source: Barcroft TV

4. What if?
But why?
How can I?

5. Conventions to break conventions
1. Understand the context
2. Do not break for the sake of breaking
3. Refer to 2

6. Source: FusionCharts

7. What if?
dashboards are collaborative by nature
!
But why?
should discussions take place elsewhere
!
How can we?
weave a visual story around collaboration

8. Source: FusionCharts

9. Don’t stick with plain ol’ conventions.
Go the extra mile and show your users that you care.
#happinesstip

10. simplify.

11. simplify, you must! Source: Vincent

12. Remove content that doesn’t support data
It is information that viewers read without a reward

13. - You don’t have to show everything
- Avoid meaningless visual content
- Drill-down if necessary
- Whitespace is a good thing. Really.

14. Source: City Dashboard

15. Don’t bring in unwanted variety
Increases cognitive load and perceptual strategy for
interpreting content
!
It is many people’s job
Don’t make them work harder than necessary

17. Source: Robert Allison

18. Reason before you add. Every new item competes
for attention, space, and action.
#happinesstip

19. love at first sight.
info

20. Source: Dhrubo

21. Easy to read, understand, and monitor

22. - Provide adequate context
- Maintain visual hierarchy
- Express measures meaningfully
- Guide the flow and attention

23. Source: Phoenix Government

24. Source: Williamsburg City Government

25. Actionable, productive information
VS
Interesting but extraneous information

26. Source: Geckoboard

27. Source: Perceptual Edge

28. Design information to be self-guiding, contextual,
and timely.
#happinesstip

29. get extra makeup out
of the way.

30. Source: HDW

31. Avoid
- Unnecessary decoration
- Cute visuals with no meaning
- Color abuse
- Fancy typography
- Automobile Gauges. Please.

32. Source: Dashboard Insights

33. We know 3D is cool, but …

34. Source: FusionCharts

35. Don’t try to entertain at the expense
of communication

36. Source: Business Insider

37. Source: Ducksboard

38. At every step, question if visual design aids content.
#happinesstip

39. let us talk.
selwyn@umich.edu
fin.