Riding the technology wave: Effective dashboard data visualization

Abstract

Riding the technology wave, we are awash in data. Attempts to stem the tide, or at least to manage its flow, have led to a proliferation of dashboards. With data dashboards, organizations consolidate important data in a single place, typically accessed via web browser. Dashboard contents may be tables, graphics, or visual key performance indicators (KPIs). While dashboards proliferate, displaying actionable data to support decisions, they are often developed by technical professionals inexperienced in human-computer interaction design. Research abounds on visual perception, but typically this is in the context of individual entities rather than composites. This research will survey corporate and institutional dashboards and their use of particular methods of data visualization. Building on existing research into effectiveness of interactivity in diagrams, the authors seek to identify which types of data are best represented in what types of visualizations and best practices for displaying multiple visualizations in a single view. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.