Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data
Stephen Few
O’Reilly
2006
Few phenomena characterize our time more uniquely and powerfully than the rapid rise and influence of information technologies. These technologies have unleashed a tsunami of data that rolls over and flattens us in its wake. Taming this beast has become a primary goal of the information industry. One tool that has emerged from this effort in recent years is the information dashboard. This single‐screen display of the most important information people need to do a job, presented in a way that allows them to monitor what's going on in an instant, is a powerful new medium of communication. At least it can be, but only when properly designed. Most information dashboards that are used in business today fall far short of their potential. The root of the problem is not technologyat least not primarilybut poor visual design. To serve their purpose and fulfill their potential, dashboards must display a dense array of information in a small amount of space in a manner that communicates clearly and immediately. This requires design that taps into and leverages the power of visual perception to sense and process large chunks of information rapidly. This can be achieved only when the visual design of dashboards is central to the development process and is informed by a solid understanding of visual perceptionwhat works, what doesn't, and why. No technology can do this for you. You must bring this expertise to the process. Take heartthe visual design skills that you need to develop effective dashboards can be learned, and helping you learn them is the sole purpose of this book. If the information is important, it deserves to be communicated well.
