Information Visualization: Getting Dashboards Right

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100 % booked
Intermediate
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What You’ll Learn

  • An introduction to dashboard design
  • Key considerations when you design for dashboards, such as using the pre-attentive attributes of color, form, orientation, and spatial location
  • How principles of visual perception—encompassing how, what, and why we see what we do—can be applied to your dashboard designs
  • Key concepts related to dashboard design, such as the “data-ink ratio,” summaries and exceptions, the benefits of customization, and how to promote insight
  • Some of the psychological aspects of dashboard use, including attention, short-term memory, and problem solving
  • Examples of good and bad design to help you avoid common mistakes
  • The importance of viewing experience over aesthetics

Dashboards are everywhere—in enterprise software, Google Analytics and Facebook Ads Manager, and even popular blogs such as WordPress and Medium. Dashboards are going to become increasingly important—Accenture found that 79% of executives think that companies will lose their competitive position if they do not embrace big data. But how do you pack increasingly huge amounts of data into increasingly streamlined, tiny dashboards?

“Information Visualization: Getting Dashboards Right” will lead you through some of the key considerations when designing dashboard displays. Some design choices may seem arbitrary, such as the color of the background display or the size of the company logo, but almost every decision can potentially make, or ruin, the viewing experience. Through this course, we help you identify many of the design pitfalls your competitors have already fallen into. We will equip you with a deeper understanding of your users, so you know how to reduce their burden of responsibility as well as promote insight—the main reason for using dashboards as the chosen display method.

By the end of the course, you will have a clear understanding of how to design the right dashboards for your intended users, saving yourself the effort of endless edits. You will also be able to avoid the common faults blighting your competitors' designs by being equipped with the necessary information to design products that provide your users with the best possible viewing experience and, in turn, generate an increase in sales.

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Is This Course Right for You?

  • You want to land a job in design – or get a promotion.
  • You want to learn real-world design skills that are valuable in any job and any industry.
  • You want timeless human-centered skills AI cannot replace and turn AI into your superpower.
  • You're tired of wasting time on influencers and want to learn from real experts.
  • You want actual career outcomes, like increasing your salary potential and job opportunities.
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Loved by People Around the World

View full testimonial from Eric Azares
Eric Azares
Eric Azares
Senior Consultant, Interaction Designer

This gave me a lot of principles I can immediately apply to dashboard design. Now that I know the principles, I have a more critical eye for...

IxDF Course Certificate awarded to Eric Azares for completing the "Information Visualization: Getting Dashboards Right" course

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Course Overview:

  • Each week, one lesson becomes available.
  • Study flexibly. Take as much time as you want.
  • 16h, 37m over 8 weeks (est.).

Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 43 mins.

  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 0.1 An Introduction to Courses from IxDF (33 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 0.2 Get Help, Career Advice, and Job Opportunities (6 mins)
  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 0.3 How to Get Your Course Certificate (19 mins)
  • Community-based learning and networking. 0.4 Grow Your Global Network and Build Your Brand (12 mins)

Lesson 1: Information Visualization: An Introduction to Dashboard Design

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 44 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 1.1 Welcome to Information Visualization: Getting Dashboards Right (10 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 1.2 An Introduction: Information Visualization (10 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 1.3 Business Intelligence Dashboards: Information Visualization (40 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 1.4 Dashboards: Information Visualization (11 mins)

Lesson 2: Dashboard Design: Key Considerations

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 43 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 2.1 Promoting Insight: Information Visualization (43 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 2.2 Limitations of Short-term Memory: Information Visualization (19 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 2.3 Dashboard Design and Short-Term Memory: Information Visualization (13 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 2.4 'Data-Ink Ratio': Information Visualization (14 mins)

Lesson 3: Dashboard Design: Visual Perception and the Gestalt Principles

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 7 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 3.1 Dashboard Design and Visual Perception: Information Visualization (15 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 3.2 Dashboard Design and the Gestalt Principles: Information Visualization (14 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 3.3 Using Colour in Dashboard Design: Information Visualization (16 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 3.4 Using Colour: Information Visualization (12 mins)

Lesson 4: Dashboard Design Considerations: Practical Application

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 26 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 4.1 Applying Design Considerations: Dashboard Design (10 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 4.2 The Problem With Pie Charts: Dashboard Design (41 mins)
  • Community-based learning and networking. 4.3 Consistency and Standards: Dashboard Design (8 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 4.4 Conform to the Norm: Dashboard Design (15 mins)

Lesson 5: Common Display Methods

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 51 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 5.1 Bar Graphs: Dashboard Design (12 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 5.2 Line Chart: Dashboard Design (17 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 5.3 Scatter Plot: Dashboard Design (13 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 5.4 Tables: Dashboard Design (13 mins)

Lesson 6: Further Dashboard Display Methods

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 38 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 6.1 Stacked Bar Graphs: Dashboard Design (46 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 6.2 Spatial Maps: Dashboard Design (19 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 6.3 Information Dials: Dashboard Design (16 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 6.4 Icons: Dashboard Design (14 mins)

Lesson 7: Dashboard Design: Think of the Users!

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 57 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 7.1 Organisation is Key: Usability Considerations (42 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 7.2 Permit and Support Meaningful Comparisons: Usability Considerations (14 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 7.3 Prevent Inappropriate Comparisons: Usability Considerations (11 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 7.4 Aesthetics are Important: Usability Considerations (13 mins)

Lesson 8: Dashboard Design: Applying and Summarising

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 11 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 8.1 The Important Design Questions: Information Dashboard Design (1 hour, 11 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 8.2 Application: Dashboard Design (11 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 8.3 Daily Sales Dashboard: Dashboard Design (21 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 8.4 Accidents Vs. Workers' Pay Dashboard: Dashboard Design (26 mins)

Lesson 9: IxDF Course Certificate and Course Wrap-up

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 12 mins.

  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 9.1 How to Add Your IxDF Certificate to LinkedIn (6 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 9.2 Help Us Help You: Course Evaluation (4 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 9.3 Six Steps to Your Career Success (3 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 9.4 Get Your IxDF Course Certificate (2 mins)

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Prashant Katrabad
Prashant Katrabad
Business Consultant

The course has taken my understanding of dashboard to the next level. I hope to design better dashboards in future.

Eric Azares
Eric Azares
Senior Consultant, Interaction Designer

This gave me a lot of principles I can immediately apply to dashboard design. Now that I know the principles, I have a more critical eye for dashboards I see on a daily basis. I can view all my dashboards not just as a consumer but as a designer. Time to go organize information!

Sharon Kruskopf Sens
Sharon Kruskopf Sens
User Experience Architect

This course has certainly underscored the challenge of designing an effective dashboard. I find that I analyze every dashboard I now see!