Art + Data

A dashboard is the face of your business. After all, it displays data regarding your business. A neat and well-organized dashboard will always draw more attention. When it comes to dashboard designs, the lesser, the better; you don’t want to view a complex dashboard and mess your head over what is what. A well-curated minimalist dashboard is in demand. Follow the tips below to impress your clients with a better dashboard design.

State The Dashboard’s Purpose

Every dashboard has a purpose. Therefore, you must broadcast the goal of your dashboard to your audience. If you don’t state your purpose clearly and concisely, you’ll lose the interest of your clients. There are various ways to classify dashboards according to their purpose – Operational and Analytical.

Operational Dashboard

Operational dashboards aim at passing quick, crucial information because of the time-sensitive missions. These dashboards feature a quick, clear, and in-depth status.

Analytical Dashboard

Analytical dashboards are the opposite of operational dashboards. It offers brief information for analysis. The missions aren’t time-sensitive, so you can take your time to analyze them. These dashboards aim at providing clear data for decision-making.

The Right Data Representation Matters

There are four major types of data representation. There’s no need to complicate your dashboard with useless clutter and confuse the users. Selecting the right one will make all the difference.

Distribution

If you’re portraying a distribution, the best step is to use tables to align and sort variables.

Comparison

If you’re comparing variables, the best chart to use is a bar chart that defines the differences.

Relationship

If you wish to point out the relationship between two or more variables, the best thing to do is use a pie chart.

Composition

Graphs are indispensable when you’re making composition data. Graphs are perfect for assessing changing trends.

Consistency Is Key

While creating a dashboard, it is highly recommended to be consistent with the names, values, and number formats. A concise framework will allow you to be consistent in your approach. One glance at your dashboard should be able to convey its purpose of it. Besides, if you constantly keep using a format or value for a particular word or date, it would be easier for you.

Set The Layout And Flow

The layout and flow of your dashboard will attract or repel potential clients. It’s not hard to set the flow and layout if you use grids. Grids will allow you to sample a rough sketch of your design with great consistency and alignment. These “invisible” grid lines enable your layout to have a straight alignment. If you’re not very experienced in creating seamless dashboards, here are some tips you don’t want to miss about creating engaging layouts.

Naturally, the part of the dashboard that garners the most attention is the top left corner. So, it is best to include the most important information from left to right. A seamless and continuous flow will help the users keep their interests fixed on the dashboard.

Consistent Use Of Cards

Now it’s time for the widgets. These cards feature information, controls, and charts. They are one of the easiest tools to arrange and scale because they can move and stick anywhere you wish. But just because you have the liberty to place them anywhere, don’t make the mistake of overcrowding your dashboard or making clutter out of it. For example, if we look at a free sex hookup site like Local SexFinder, we can see that their consistent use of cards, guides users to the sites functions with deliberate purpose. Where as when we look at other adult dating sites it can become very confusing from a user perspective.

Remember, a clean and simple dashboard generally attracts more people. Be consistent with your use of cards. One example of a card layout is to include the name in the top left corner, which gets the most attention.

Keep An Eye On Negative Space

Also known as white space, negative space is the space between each design element. As a reader, we might not see any importance or difference that negative space makes. However, web designers always have a keen eye for white space. An unbalanced negative space will make it hard to comprehend your dashboard. So, don’t neglect the small things that affect the whole presentation.

Focus On Personalization

When you personalize your dashboard, it will attract more people who share the same interests. There are usually two ways to get your ideas across to the public. One is personalization, and the other is customization. The difference between the two is that personalization is system-based, while customization is done by the user.

We would recommend that you stick with the system personalization because it brings out all the relevant layouts and content to attract readers. You can always customize the design after you personalize it.

No Room For Error

This point applies especially to data tables where you’re representing factual data and information. There can’t be any careless errors in your data because most of your readers are going to take your word for it. Imagine how disappointing it would be when they find out something doesn’t quite add up!

Dashboard Designing

Lastly, it brings us to dashboard designing. Many people make the mistake of designing the dashboard first because it seems like the most fun and creative thing to do. But if you wish to skip the hassle of rearranging your design every time you add a personalized touch, design it only after everything has been done.…

UX and UI are terms that we have all heard before. They are often used side-by-side because they share a common platform. But you’ll be surprised to know that they are far from similar.

Nevertheless, these terms refer to the look and feel of a product. They refer to how we feel when we use the product, how their design facilities or affects us, etc.

These are just simplified explanations of the two terms. If you’re a beginner and eager to know more, keep reading. Below, we will briefly discuss everything you need to know about UX and UI.

What Are UX And UI?

When we talk about UX and UI, it sounds like techy stuff. And we’re not wrong. They relate to gadgets and gear. But in theory, they have been around for centuries.

UX refers to the user experience, and UI refers to a product’s user interface. They work in harmony and are essential to the success or failure of the product.

Although they share a common ground, UX and UI design play separate roles. They are independent elements that help in designing and developing a product.

Let’s talk about UX first. Anything that you experience while using a product is the user experience. It is the close relationship between a user and the product or service they’re interacting with.

We can look at everyday examples like driving a car or using a new computer. The user experience is what you feel when you use the car or computer-how smooth it runs, how quickly it turns on, etc.

Now we turn our attention to UI. UI refers to the look and feel of a product. The term UX has its roots in the scientific realm. But the user interface stays strictly within the digital realm.

For instance, when using our phones, we observe how the different elements work together to provide a smooth experience. Manufacturers make sure to make the UI intuitive so that it appeals to the general public.

Even with websites, designers choose each element carefully, like color schemes, icons, fonts, etc.

What Do UX And UI Consist?

We must think like UX and UI designers to get closer to these two terms.

If you’re a UX designer, you will think about optimizing a product so users can enjoy them. They observe these experiences and analyze them to improve that product.

For instance, they focus on how your online payment process goes or how smooth a guitar neck feels. They leave the visual experience for the interface design. UX is about creating a wholesome experience and improving user interaction with a product.

On the other hand, if you’re a UI designer, you want to think about different design elements. Keep in mind that UI is a strictly digital term. So, it involves everything like menus, buttons, colors, animations, etc.

Let us look at our phones, for instance. We observe how slow or fast the game runs on the phone’s operating system when we are playing games. If it lags, there is a fault either with the in-game or the phone’s UI design.

UX And UI: Why Are They Both Essential?

Both UX and UI are inseparable. They function as a unit and contribute to the overall experience and usability of the product.

We can take the example of a digital mixing board. It looks sleek with multiple controls, a touchscreen display, etc. But the user needs help to use it on the go.

This is an example of an excellent user interface but a poor user experience. On the contrary, if it looks bulky and outdated but is easy to use, the UI is faulty, while the UX is on point.

We can also look at certain apps or websites on our phones for another example. Some of these apps are essential for us, but the UX is sub-par, or the UI is too messy. We can also see cool website designs, but the text could be easier to read, and drop-down menus could be faster.

Thus, this shows how both concepts are essential for a product’s design. In today’s competitive world, it is essential to get both elements right to appeal to the masses. If both the UX and UI click into place, that product will sell fast, and its demand will grow.

What Is the Job Of A UX And UI Designer?

We already know that UX and UI go hand-in-hand. But if you were to choose one as a job, you don’t have to know both by heart. It is crucial to understand both concepts, but you only need to master one.

UX designers are responsible for connecting the aim of the company and the consumer’s needs. They conduct tests and collect results to refine every product they put out. They are also partly responsible for marketing, project management, etc., which makes it a challenging task.

On the other hand, UI designers are responsible for the visual side of things. They add elements through graphic designing skills and coding. A product only comes to life if the UI designer adds life.

This includes responses, adaptability, interactivity, etc. This shows how the user interface is crucial for any digital product to function. They should also be responsible for implementing their designs with a developer.

Coding also plays a significant role in user interface design today. And its demand will grow further as the world develops toward a digital future. Besides, more and more companies are now hiring UI developers to enhance their products.

Closing Thoughts

We hope you now understand what UI and UX mean. Both concepts sound similar to the regular person. But if you dive deeper, you will know that there’s more than one difference between the two.

This article is just a brief introduction to the two concepts. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in either field, we hope this guide helps you choose the suitable one.…

Keys For Better Dashboard Design

Beginners Guide To Understanding UX Vs. UI