The dashboard nobody looks at
We've all seen it: the famous dashboard created with enthusiasm, presented in a meeting, then forgotten two weeks later.
Too much information kills information
The natural reflex is to put everything in. Revenue, customer count, conversion rate, average delay, customer satisfaction... Result: a cluttered screen where the eye doesn't know where to look.
A good dashboard answers one question, not twenty.
The wrong metrics
Displaying data is easy. Displaying the right data is another matter. A number that doesn't drive action is a useless number.
Ask yourself: "If this number changes, what do I do differently?" If the answer is "nothing", remove it.
Too far from daily work
A dashboard you have to open deliberately, in a separate tab, with a login... is a dashboard you won't open.
The best dashboards integrate where you already work: as the homepage of your tool, in a daily email, or displayed on a screen in the office.
What works
Dashboards that work have three things in common:
- 3 to 5 indicators maximum — The essential, not the exhaustive
- A clear action — Each number should be able to trigger a decision
- Zero friction — Visible without effort, automatically updated
In summary
Before building a dashboard, ask yourself: "What decision will this dashboard help me make?" If you don't have a clear answer, you don't need a dashboard — you need to clarify your priorities.