We’ve All Been There….
Tableau is my very first data visualisation tool, I thought I can use complex charts with vibrant colour to demonstrate my skills to others, I want to impress people. But very quickly, I learned a hard truth: Less is more. I discovered that a good and functional dashboard aren’t about showing off all the fancy Tableau’s features. It should allows your insights to flow easily into the audience mind, with least barrier possible. After all, as human being, we hate using our brain. This blog is a collection of common mistakes I have made, and hopefully it will help you avoid
1. Filter, Filter Everywhere
With Filter, I thought I was doing a good job by allowing users to have more control over what they want to see. More filters equals more flexibility, right? WRONG! At least, not all the time. More than often, it ended up confusing the users even more, or worse – they would not bother interact with the dashboard. We can avoid this mistake by asking your self: what question can you answer with a filter? – If you think it won’t serve you or the users any good, get rid of it.
2. Complex Charts Just Because It Looks Cool
There is always a voice in my head telling me to build a fancy chart just to show off my amazing skills. I thought I would “Wow” others by doing this, but the feedbacks I got is not what I expected. So, in most cases, just stick with the basic charts (bar, line, pie) as these will solve about 80% of business problem, or any other problem. Yes, we saw these charts all the time, but they just work since people are so familiar with them. Of course, unless you are working on personal project, then, by no mean, go for the craziest thing possible.
3. Colour
Colour is a powerful communication tool, but most of our dashboards in the early stage of learning are either underusing it, or worst, overusing it. Colour should guide the audience attention, not fight for it. Be wise with your choice of colour palette. If you are struggle with colour, there are websites online will provide you with colour palette made by others, you job is simply to browse and pick what you think fit the purpose. Also, be considerate of users with colour blindness as well.
4. Designing for Yourself, Not Your Users
I must say, this one is the hardest to admit, hence i put it as last point. I used to build dashboards I liked, not dashboards that were actually functional and useful to other people, one that solve their problems. I spent hours adjusting every details to be perfect just to realised no one gives a crap. Pretty dashboards are nice to look at, but useful dashboards will make unforgettable impact. Understand your target audience is the key to guide you toward the right direction.
Final Thoughts
Tableau is just a tool. We can use it to bring data to life in ways that are interactive and meaningful. The real goal here is to help people or business understand what matters. If you are new to Tableau, then gives yourself space to make mistakes (who didn’t), but do seek feedbacks from others. You don’t have to use every fancy tricks you know to show off your skills, some of the most powerful dashboard I have seen is clear, focused and simple.