Dashboards have become popular in recent years as uniquely powerful tools for communicating important information at a glance. This book will teach you the visual design skills you need to create dashboards that communicate clearly, rapidly, and compellingly. The greatest display technology in the world won't solve this if you fail to use effective visual design. And if a dashboard fails to tell you precisely what you need to know in an instant, you'll never use it, even if it's filled with cute gauges, meters, and traffic lights. Don't let your investment in dashboard technology go to waste.
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Chapter 1 Clarifying the Vision
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All That Glitters Is Not Gold
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Even Dashboards Have a History
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Dispelling the Confusion
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A Timely Opportunity
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Chapter 2 Variations in Dashboard Uses and Data
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Categorizing Dashboards
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Typical Dashboard Data
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Chapter 3 Thirteen Common Mistakes in Dashboard Design
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Exceeding the Boundaries of a Single Screen
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Supplying Inadequate Context for the Data
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Displaying Excessive Detail or Precision
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Choosing a Deficient Measure
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Choosing Inappropriate Display Media
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Introducing Meaningless Variety
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Using Poorly Designed Display Media
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Encoding Quantitative Data Inaccurately
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Arranging the Data Poorly
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Highlighting Important Data Ineffectively or Not at All
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Cluttering the Display with Useless Decoration
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Misusing or Overusing Color
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Designing an Unattractive Visual Display
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Chapter 4 Tapping into the Power of Visual Perception
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Understanding the Limits of Short-Term Memory
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Visually Encoding Data for Rapid Perception
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Gestalt Principles of Visual Perception
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Applying the Principles of Visual Perception to Dashboard Design
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Chapter 5 Eloquence Through Simplicity
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Characteristics of a Well-Designed Dashboard
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Key Goals in the Visual Design Process
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Chapter 6 Effective Dashboard Display Media
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Select the Best Display Medium
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An Ideal Library of Dashboard Display Media
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Summary
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Chapter 7 Designing Dashboards for Usability
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Organize the Information to Support Its Meaning and Use
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Maintain Consistency for Quick and Accurate Interpretation
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Make the Viewing Experience Aesthetically Pleasing
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Design for Use as a Launch Pad
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Test Your Design for Usability
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Chapter 8 Putting It All Together
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Sample Sales Dashboard
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Sample CIO Dashboard
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Sample Telesales Dashboard
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Sample Marketing Analysis Dashboard
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A Final Word
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Appendix A Recommended Reading
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Colophon
- Title:
- Information Dashboard Design
- By:
- Stephen Few
- Publisher:
- O'Reilly Media
- Formats:
-
- Ebook
- Safari Books Online
- Print Release:
- January 2006
- Ebook Release:
- June 2009
- Pages:
- 224
- Print ISBN:
- 978-0-596-10016-2
- | ISBN 10:
- 0-596-10016-7
- Ebook ISBN:
- 978-0-596-10565-5
- | ISBN 10:
- 0-596-10565-7
Genevieve d'Entremont was the production editor for Information Dashboard Design. Rachel Wheeler was the copyeditor. Claire Cloutier provided quality control. Specialized Composition, Inc. provided production services.
Stephen Few designed the cover of this book. Karen Montgomery produced the cover layout in Adobe InDesign CS, using Sabon and News Gothic Condensed fonts.
Mike Kohnke and Terri Driscoll designed the interior layout. The text font is Sabon, and the heading font is News Gothic Condensed. The original illustrations that appear in this book were produced by the author, Stephen Few, using Microsoft Excel and Adobe Illustrator CS.
