Performance Dashboard Design

There were clear common preferences for how information in dashboards should be represented. Participants agreed that dashboards at the highest level should be a single page or screen. They also agreed that simplicity is key. Participants implied that information in dashboards should be conditionally formatted using standard colours (red, amber, and green). They identified line graphs and tables as a preferred way of representing information. When deciding how to structure a dashboard, Participant 2 indicated that the font, colours, and layout must be standardised. From observation of the participants' dashboards, the number of parameters they contained varied from three to more than 20 parameters. The data was presented mainly in tables and simple graphs using robot colours to indicate the status. Participant 3 indicated that simplicity is very important: the moment it gets too intricate, you lose the main points "in the noise of things". Participant 8 added that dashboards must be easy to read, and the information must be clear.

"Simpler is best. You can make it extremely complex, nice looking, and trendy in terms of graphics, but at the end of the day a simple graph with robot status incorporated and a baseline can give you a lot of information". (Participant 5)

Participant 3 urged that the dashboard not look like a Smarties^TM box. Standard measurement scales must be used, ensuring that the user can easily relate to them. Participant 1 uses 'up' and 'down' arrows and clocks in their dashboard. With this initiative, they observed that stakeholders became upset when they were in the red, and they therefore reacted to correct the trend. Participants also highlighted visuals that they dislike in dashboards. Participant 2 said that visual effects such as blinkers, flashers, and alarms can be "irritating". It must also not be difficult for the user to determine what diagrams mean, and the legends must be clear and accurate.