Business Intelligence Dashboards
Dashboard Wireframe Kit
The Dashboard Wireframe Kit is a low-tech tool used to wireframe analytics dashboards. The kit is a proven and tested means of rapidly wireframing dashboards to align your data with the needs of the business, meet user goals, and achieve actionable outcomes. It doesn't matter if you aren't a data pro, you can quickly layout a dashboard in 10 minutes with KPIs, charts, and filters that help you tell a story with your data. By using the kit and the Dashboard Design Process, you'll create a dashboard with clear next steps, designed with a specific user in mind that answer the questions you want to answer. Watch the video to see the kit in action.
The Kit
The Dashboard Wireframe Kit is designed to be used as part of the Wireframe Process. It comes with a board and decks of 54 cards for charts and graphs, with additional cards for filters and KPIs. The board is clearly labeled with best practices to help you wireframe a dashboard that answers the key questions you have about your business.
Chart & Graph Cards
Chart selection
Select chart cards based on the questions, what the user needs to see, and KPIs. The chart cards outline standard uses and have recommendations on which cards to use, based on your questions. The chart cards have the chart on one side and meta content (questions and resultant action) on the other. Note user action and color changed based on chart information.
KPI & Filter Cards
Select KPI cards that match the metrics outlined. Note title, charts referenced, color change threshold, and how the metric connects with your story.
Select filter cards that support the key questions the dashboard is answering. A wide variety is desired so that your users can effectively drill down into the data; note whether the filter should affect the KPIs.
Wireframing
Lay out completed KPIs, Chart, and Filter cards on the Dashboard Wireframe Kit board. Using a dry erase marker, users can write directly on the cards (and wipe clean later for reuse). Take photos of both the description and title side of the cards to share with the development team.
To learn more about laying out a dashboard, please see Enterprise Dashboard Layout: Keeping it Simple.