Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026
Hello AEA365 community. This is Armand Laurent. I work with Evaluation + Learning Consulting to design and build dashboards for organizations across sectors.
Many teams I work with are trying to make their data more accessible. They invest in dashboards with the goal of putting timely information into the hands of staff, leadership, and partners so they can make informed decisions without waiting for reports. But, often, a common pattern emerges: After the time, energy, and even participatory design sessions have informed the dashboards, they go unused.
While part of this is about change management, often the larger problem is often dashboard design. Dashboards are most useful when they are built with a clear understanding of who will use them and how. Here are three principles I’ve found helpful when designing dashboards that people return to.
A dashboard should reflect the decisions its audience is responsible for making. Different users often need different views of the same data. For example, while a program manager may want to monitor participation or workflow in near real time, leadership may focus on trends over time or progress toward goals.
Trying to meet all of these needs in a single view can make a dashboard harder to interpret. Instead, define the primary user and ask:
Other audiences can be supported through additional views or pages.
Another common challenge is including too much. A dashboard page often works best when it contains a small set of visuals that work together. This might be four to six charts, though the right number depends on the use case. Group them around a clear theme, such as program performance, operations, or data quality.
Additionally, context is just as important as selection, and numbers on their own can be difficult to interpret. Instead of simply showing recent stats, conside comparing current values to a prior period, including targets or benchmarks where relevant, or showing change over time rather than a single point. Displaying monthly participation alongside a target line or prior trend, for example, can help users understand whether performance is stable, improving, or declining.
A dashboard should be quickly interpretable. Place the most important information in a visually prominent position, based on how your audience is likely to scan the page. Keep key insights visible without requiring users to scroll or search. Arrange visuals in a sequence that supports understanding, and use visual design choices that support interpretation. For example:
Small design decisions can influence whether a dashboard feels approachable or overwhelming.
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