Dashboard

What

A dashboard is a large section, with widgets, that is a starting point in an app to give the user an overview of the content within the app and a quick way to navigate to a section of the app.

Why

To display actionable and relevant data for Information and Navigation.

Where

Front and center. Typically the first screen a user sees in an app.

Best Practices

  • Variations: Sometimes a dashboard includes controls to change something.
  • Use visual hierarchy to prioritize information. Order, color, size of widgets convey importance.
  • Group similar items to increase usability
  • Use illustrations, like graphs or charts, to increase scanability
  • Understand what your user needs to gain from viewing the dashboard. Do they need to: Prioritize their work within the app? Have an overview for work outside the app?Looking for urgent problems? Delegate work to others?
  • Keep it simple. Information overload will make it less useful. It is a summary, not all of the data.
  • Customization increases the chances people will use it. Drag and drop is common for widget placement
  • Users should be able to find important information in about 5 seconds or less
  • Dark themes can reduce eye fatigue if users view the dashboard for long periods of time each day
  • Mobile: Widgets should be a size/shape that will fit well on a mobile device

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