In-Depth
TDWI Audio Report: Dashboard Design for Usability
Dashboards have become favored executive BI tools because they can present a concise, graphical view of underlying data. Done correctly, dashboards can free technical resources and help move IT out of the reporting business, says Siggi Plommer, president of iQ4bis Software. That can offer a solid return on investment. But perhaps the biggest challenge with dashboards, Plommer says, is ensuring that they are flexible enough to accommodate changing needs, and that they draw on good, solid data on the back end.
TDWI Audio Report: Dashboard Design for UsabilityToo often, dashboards seemed to be designed with information overload in mind. That doesn't help the executives who are still the main users of dashboards today, points out Siggi Plommer, president of iQ4bis Software. Instead, he recommends just three to four components per dashboard – enough to give executives a "helicopter view" of the business, along with the ability to dive into hot spots. In this interview, Plommer discusses that and other recommendations around selecting and implementing dashboards.Perhaps the biggest challenges with dashboards, Plommer points out, are these: How to ensure that they are flexible enough to accommodate changing needs, while making sure they draw on good, solid data on the back end.
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