Are you struggling to create an effective dashboard? Don’t reinvent the wheel, use the design principles of the one-page diagram!

You’ll remember from prior posts that one-page diagrams have the following attributes:

• All pertinent information is condensed and displayed on a single page
• The diagram has a very specific purpose or message, not just a collection of lines and shapes
• The diagram is created with a very specific audience in mind
• The diagram leads the audience to a definite conclusion

In the same way that a one-page diagram is more than a well-drawn model, an effective dashboard is more than spreadsheet report. Effective dashboards are built to highlight specific, critical areas of a business or process and show only what is necessary to support that purpose. It should enable the viewer to quickly answer a few specific questions about the health of the subject at hand and not be cluttered with extra distractions.

Here are a few posts that talk to effective one-page diagrams. Reading them again with the goal of applying the concepts to building effective dashbaords may inspire you with ways to improve your dashboard and overcome any struggles you may be experiencing in the design phase of your work!

The Power of One-page Diagrams

Effective One-Page Diagrams: Where Creation and Delivery Meet

Prior Knowedge: The Prerequisite of One-page Diagram

Dashboards: The Ultimate One-Page Diagram

Modeling Tool: Organization at a Glance

I’d be interested to hear about the similarities and differences you see between one-page diagrams and effective dashboards. Please leave me a comment below and tell us what you think.