Determine your audience’s needs

Dashboards can sometimes be confusing and overwhelming for users, which can lead to spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to use them. To avoid this, you can start by understanding what kind of information your users want to see on the dashboard.

User research is the best way to get accurate information about:

• When and why users will look at and analyze the data
• What brings users to the dashboard and what difficulties they might face
• The specific information users need to see, compare, and analyze on the dashboard
• The order of importance for different parts of the dashboard and how they should be arranged
• Options for customization based on individual preferences
• How familiar users are with the technical aspects of the system

Also, consider your business goals when designing a dashboard. Ask yourself what actions you want your users to take and how it can help your business.^[1]