Designing Data Visualisations That Work

Designing Data Visualisations That Work

A great data visualisation isn’t just about making numbers look pretty - it’s about delivering clarity, insight, and impact. When done well, a dashboard can be the difference between swift, confident decision-making and a tangled mess of confusion. But too often, visualisations get cluttered with unnecessary charts, excessive colour, and redundant data points, making it harder - not easier - to see what really matters.

The best dashboards follow the principle of clarity over complexity. They strip away the noise, highlight key takeaways, and guide users to meaningful conclusions without overwhelming them. Think about walking into an Apple store versus a Chemist Warehouse. One is sleek, focused, and calming; the other is an explosion of colour, text, and distractions. A well-designed dashboard should feel like the former - intuitive and effortless to navigate.

At the heart of great visualisation is an understanding of the audience. A dashboard for executives shouldn’t look the same as one designed for frontline employees. Different users need different insights, and trying to build a one-size-fits-all dashboard usually results in a product that serves no one particularly well. A thoughtful design approach considers who will use the dashboard, what decisions they need to make, and how best to present the data for quick comprehension.

From choosing the right charts to using colour intentionally, great visualisation requires a balance of art and science. In this blog, we’ll explore what makes a dashboard effective, how to simplify design for maximum impact, and the small but powerful tweaks that can instantly improve any data visualisation.

Less is More

The first rule of great data visualisation is clarity. Think about the stark contrast between an Apple store and a Chemist Warehouse. One is clean, sleek, and purposeful. The other is a sensory overload of colours, promotions, and products crammed into every available space. Too many dashboards lean towards the Chemist Warehouse approach, throwing every available metric onto the page without considering what really matters.

A great visualisation starts with a ruthless edit. Every element on the page should have a reason to be there. Unnecessary charts, excessive labels, redundant text, and overuse of colour create cognitive overload. If it doesn’t add value, remove it.

The Power of BANs

Big As Numbers (BANs) are an essential design element. They highlight the most critical metrics and provide instant insight without requiring users to dig through charts and tables. A good BAN isn’t just a number floating in space - it includes context. Is revenue up or down? How does this compare to last year? A simple sparkline or a well-placed indicator (upward or downward arrows) can transform a number from meaningless to insightful.

Know Your Audience

One of the biggest mistakes in dashboard design is trying to please everyone with a single product. A dashboard built for a leadership team is different from one designed for frontline employees. Different audiences have different needs, and trying to create a one-size-fits-all visualisation often results in one that fits no one.

When designing, always ask: Who is this for? What decisions will they make based on this data? Do they prefer visual summaries or detailed tables? In cases where a dashboard needs to serve multiple audiences, layering is key - start with high-level insights and allow users to drill down into more details as needed.

Consistency Builds Trust

Trust in data starts with consistency. Titles, subtitles, legends, fonts, and filters should be standardised across all dashboards within an organisation. Users shouldn’t have to hunt for where the filters are or decipher a new colour scheme on every page. Creating visualisation guidelines and templates speeds up dashboard development and ensures a consistent, recognisable experience.

One of the fastest ways to improve a dashboard’s design is by tidying up padding, alignment, and spacing. Misaligned elements, inconsistent fonts, and uneven spacing create an unpolished, amateurish look that can make users question the credibility of the data itself.

Colour: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Colour should be used with intention. Too much colour and your dashboard looks like a unicorn on LSD. Too little and key insights can be lost in a sea of monotony. The best practice? Start neutral and layer colour strategically to highlight what’s most important.

Brand colours often don’t translate well to data visualisation. Just because a company’s logo is orange and purple doesn’t mean those colours should be the default for charts. A well-designed palette considers accessibility, contrast, and usability. Colour blindness affects a significant portion of the population, so avoid relying solely on red-green scales. Instead, use variations in saturation or add symbols to reinforce meaning.

Choosing the Right Chart

Not all charts are created equal. Pie charts, for example, are a common request, yet they rarely provide the best way to compare values. The human brain struggles to accurately judge angles and slice sizes, making pie charts inefficient beyond two categories.

Bar charts and line charts remain the undisputed champions of clear communication. They are universally understood, easy to interpret, and work well across different data types. Scatter plots can be powerful for identifying relationships between variables, and heat maps are excellent for spotting trends in time-based or categorical data. Meanwhile, maps - often loved by stakeholders - should be used sparingly and only when they genuinely add value rather than serving as decorative fluff.

Storytelling vs. Exploration

Does every dashboard need to tell a story? Not necessarily. There’s a difference between explanatory and exploratory visualisations. Explanatory dashboards present a clear narrative, often with annotations and guided insights. Exploratory dashboards, on the other hand, allow users to interact with the data and draw their own conclusions.

For dashboards that update frequently, hardcoding a fixed story can be problematic. Instead, design dashboards that naturally guide the user through a logical data flow, ensuring the most critical insights appear first and additional details can be accessed as needed.

Quick Wins for Instant Improvement

If you want to elevate your dashboards quickly, here are some immediate fixes:

• Reduce the number of colours to four or fewer.
• Increase white space to improve readability.
• Standardise fonts and avoid excessive use of capital letters.
• Remove thick, unnecessary axis lines.
• Ensure bar charts always start at zero.
• Clean up tooltips - sentence-style tooltips are far more effective than default auto-generated ones.
• Keep filters in a consistent place across dashboards.
• Seek peer reviews - fresh eyes can reveal issues you might not notice.

The Takeaway

Great data visualisation is about making complex information accessible, actionable, and trustworthy. The best dashboards don’t just look good - they work. They enable better decisions by presenting data in a way that is intuitive, clear, and engaging.

Whether you're designing for thousands or just yourself, remember: clarity over complexity, consistency over chaos, and insights over decoration.

If you’re struggling with a dashboard that isn’t quite right, Dub Dub Data’s Glow Up Viz Reviews might be just what you need. Reach out and send us your visualisation at [email protected], and we’ll help transform it into something beautiful and effective.

For more insights, check out the podcast episode: https://www.dubdubdata.com/unDUBBED-Details.