Tips for Dashboard Design and Delivery

Corporate Leadership Council

© 2015 CEB. All rights reserved

Introduction
What it does:
The Tips for Dashboard Design & Delivery help you organize HR data using various visual representations and offers guidance on
how to use metrics to tell a story.

How to Use it:

Review the principles as you are designing the dashboard and follow the storytelling framework to help you customize dashboard
delivery to your audience.
Instructions:
- Gather all collected metrics and review your key talent questions to ground yourself in the key points for the dashboard.

Slides 3-5
- These slides provide inspiration and critical reminders on how to visually present data to stakeholders.

Slide 6 – Improve Actionability by Displaying The Implications of Data

- Use these imperatives to help decision makers arrive at their own conclusions based on dashboard data.

Slide 7 – Prepare to Tell a Story Through Data

- Ensure your visual presentation and voiceover brings the data to life with a narrative, using this framework.

- Before presenting your final dashboard, test the layout and delivery with HRBPs and peers on the HR Analytics team. Request
feedback and suggestions for improvement.

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© 2015 CEB. All rights reserved
Tip 1: Keep the Dashboard Simple

Focus on simplicity when Principles for Selecting Dashboard Graphics for Simplicity
designing charts and graphs
for your dashboard. 1. Form Follows Function – Limit dashboard material to content that delivers clear and
relevant information to the audience.

• Select graphics based on the purpose of the data (see next page for when you might choose to
use a type of graph).
• Labels should clearly identify the data and convey its purpose at a glance

2. Maintain a Data Content Ink Ratio – Maximize the about of space in the dashboard
used to convey business relevant information

Data on the Dashboard

Data to Ink Ratio =
Total Content in Dashboard

3. Simplicity is Key – Eliminate graphics that do not convey information, such as:

• Unnecessary • A key far removed • Distracting colors

decoration or design of from the content • Cross-hatching
dashboard • Excessive labeling
• Unnecessary grid lines • 3-D bars

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© 2015 CEB. All rights reserved
Tip 2: Choose the Right Graphic for the Right Meaning
Think about what information
you want the audience to take
away, then choose the graph
that best conveys the
message.
Graphical Guidelines
Pie Chart
• When comparing the
distribution of responses for
a specific question or query.
• categories.
When comparing data as a
percentage.
• When comparing a small
number of categories.
Bar Chart
• When comparing the
distribution of responses
between categories.
• When comparing data as an
absolute value.
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Column Chart
• When comparing the
distribution of responses
both within and between
Scatter Plot
• When displaying relational
information.
Line Chart
• When comparing information
over a period of time or other
trends.
Table
• When displaying large
amounts of data.
• When you are not
concerned about
comparisons across different
fields.
© 2015 CEB. All rights reserved
Tip 3: Use Color with a Purpose

Strategic use of color on a Principles for Using Colors on Dashboards

page can focus the eye on the
most important information  Use color to direct the eye to the most important parts of the page
on the dashboard.
 Limit color to less than a quarter of the page
 Use muted colors, for example:
• Avoid using more than
three colors on a page, • Rust instead of bright red
which can be distracting to • Natural green instead of bright green
the reader and reduce the  Use color consistent with their symbolization, for example:
value of using color in the
first place. • “Stop” in green is confusing to the reader
• A word like “positive” in red can distract from the intended meaning
• Use muted colors (rust  Limit the number of colors on the page to no more than five, preferably just three
instead of bright red) that  Choose colors that contrast to show differences or are shades to show variation
provide a clear contrast,
directing the reader’s eye to
desired information on the
page.

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© 2015 CEB. All rights reserved
Tip 4: Improve Actionability by Displaying The Implications of Data
When designing pages in a
dashboard, place key metrics
visually close to additional
data that can help the reader
interpret and act on the most
important information.
Imperatives and Methods for Improving Relevance and Actionability
Imperative Display Contextual Data Connect to Business Outcomes
Give context to key data by adding data Include data to provide insight into the ways
that highlights a possible causal in which talent decisions impact individual,
connect between key metrics, showing operational, or financial productivity.
How to important differences in geography or
employee level, and related metrics
that show contradictory or confirmatory
data.
• Present contextual and business related information next to key metrics.
Location on • Ensure that the relevant information is easily visible on the same page on the
Page dashboard
When presenting turnover rate, include Where linkages are possible, present talent
data with possible causal connections, data with business implications so the
such as: bottom line business result is clear to the
• Engagement or manager quality reader.
Example • Additional information such as EVP
preferences
• Distribution by employee level or
level of performance.
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© 2015 CEB. All rights reserved
Tip 5: Prepare to Tell a Story Through Data
Communicate dashboards and
action plans in a way that’s
meaningful to the audience
by telling a story.
• Don’t simply list survey
results; detail the effect of
those results on specific
business and talent
outcomes (i.e., why the
results matter).
Process for Communicating Data by Telling a Story
• Establish common ground so a diverse audience comes to the same conclusions and is
on the same page.
Set the Example: Intent to stay for new hires decreased by 7% in the past year.
Scene • Size the opportunity by communicating the potential impact of an action or strategy.
Example: Improving intent to stay for new hires by 7% will generate recruiting cost savings
of X and allow us to more quickly get new hires up to speed.
• Communicate the logic chain to highlight the trends and patterns that clarify your point or
argument
Example: New hires indicating the lowest intent to stay are also least satisfied with their
Develop onboarding experience
the Plot • Focus on the central argument to keep the audience’s attention, eliminating additional
‘nice to have’ information
Example: In particular, new hires express confusion about how their jobs support the
organization and their business unit or function.
• Draw explicit, succinct conclusions to ensure the audience understands key points
Example: To improve new hire retention, we must help them understand their connection to
the organization and their business unit or function from the first day of their employment.
Conclude the • Communicate next steps to increase the likelihood that follow-up actions occur.
Argument Example: We need to help managers of new hires quickly communicate their importance to
the organization and business unit or function during onboarding. We will convene a working
group of recruiters, new hires, and managers or new hires to identify specific actions
managers can take to achieve this.
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© 2015 CEB. All rights reserved