Chapter 7. Dashboard Design and Styling
The purpose of a dashboard is to tell a story. In the scheme of human history, hieroglyphs, the Bible, epic poems, theatre, comic books, and even social media are a few of the many different media through which we recount events to each other. All stories have one of the several primary purposes, to teach values or historical lessons, create culture, motivate people to take action, or entertain, to name a few.
Knowing the purpose of the story that you are telling is imperative to making it memorable. Good stories have several important attributes, which should be kept in mind when you are working. Some of these attributes are as follows:
- They're simple and focused
- They create an emotional response
- Listeners can relate to the actors in them
- They have good, real data
It's a good idea to take a few minutes to think about the story that you want to tell before you even create a new dashboard. Think about the stories that are the most memorable...
