Good data, great dashboards
Are you seeing the value in your data?
In this series the team at White Box takes a look at visualisation best practice, covering all manner of dashboarding techniques to optimise your reporting tools.
Want to see more tips? Check them out here.
Have you ever received an Excel spreadsheet with somebody’s idea of ingenious colour coding?
The one where green means good, red means bad, yellow means neutral, orange means keep an eye on it, blue means more information needed, purple means the Accounts team has to action, fuchsia means this, cream means that and the three shades of teal are a complete mystery.
Colour is just like the data itself; if there’s too much of it then the meaning is lost.
The power of the data aggregation and consolidation underlying a dashboard is that it simplifies a large and complex set of data into something rapidly digestible; an over-abundance of colour is a sure way to put that at risk.
Some simple tips for designing a colour palette:
First check branding guidelines, logo and website – some companies require strict adherence which might dictate the entire palette; where there’s some freedom, it will still be helpful to find the signature colour that can feature heavily.
Primary colours are better avoided (let Google have those!).
Look for complementary colours and use light contrast to expand the palette. You shouldn’t need more than six (try the below for size), as few charts retain visual impact with more than half a dozen categories. Use ‘Other’ to throw a net over the smaller groups – it’s rare that a breakdown of those residual categories is of interest.
Avoid using vibrant retina-burning colours, or those that tend to elicit meaning, such as reds and greens (unless that’s the intention of the visual).
If you’re feeling adventurous check out a tool like Adobe colour wheel. It can give you some fun insights and ideas into how colours can work together, just be sure to avoid going down the rabbit hole with your exploring!
We specialise in data visualisation at White Box
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As your partner in data visualisation - Power BI, Tableau, Qlik, Looker and more - we’ll help you see the full potential of your data and maximise your business success through advanced and innovative solutions that make all the difference.
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