A business dashboard functions much like one in a vehicle – it provides vital insights at a glance, guiding decision-makers toward informed actions. An effective dashboard acts as a control center for enterprise asset management (EAM) companies, turning complex data into clear, actionable information. Just as a vehicle dashboard alerts you to key indicators like speed or fuel levels, a well-designed EAM dashboard highlights crucial metrics, empowering teams to respond swiftly and efficiently. In short, dashboards are a tremendous tool for decision-making, offering clarity and precision in environments where every second counts.
With this in mind, we turned to our resident dashboard expert, S4A Lead UI/UX Designer Jon Couch, to uncover the strategies and principles behind creating successful dashboards.
Dashboard Design 101
Effective dashboards are the backbone of decision-making in EAM companies, providing users with critical insights at a glance. Designing such dashboards, however, requires a thoughtful approach to ensure they are both functional and user-friendly.
“The core design principles I follow when creating any design, not just dashboards, are simplicity, consistency, compatibility (responsiveness), and effective use of visual hierarchy and prioritization of information,” Couch shares.
As highlighted in a previous piece on Best Practices in UX Design, the foundation of any successful dashboard lies in simplicity. Dashboards should display only the most essential information, avoiding unnecessary clutter that can overwhelm users.
Furthermore,a consistent design creates a seamless user experience. From fonts and colors to layouts and navigation, uniformity helps users intuitively understand and interact with the dashboard. Consistency also builds trust, as users know what to expect, reducing cognitive load and increasing efficiency.
And finally, compatibility is a must-do. Responsive design ensures that dashboards function optimally whether accessed on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. This adaptability is critical for teams working in diverse environments, ensuring they can access insights anytime, anywhere.
Balancing Functionality with Visual Appeal
Designing a dashboard that is both highly functional and visually appealing requires careful planning. At the heart of a great design is a focus on functionality, ensuring that every element of the dashboard serves a purpose and contributes to a seamless user experience.
“When it comes to designing for usability, colors, spacing, symmetry, contrast…all of these elements play an essential role,” Couch points out. “You can ruin an otherwise pleasant experience if one is not designed effectively. For example, you’re searching through data within an application, and an action button is too difficult to find due to its location, contrast, and size. This can derail the entire task.”
Striking the perfect balance between functionality and visual appeal is key to creating dashboards that satisfy users and drive efficiency. A dashboard heavy on functionality but lacking visual clarity can feel cluttered and difficult to navigate, while a visually stunning interface that sacrifices usability often leaves users frustrated.
Couch highlights this balance in a recent project: the design of Envoy Balance, S4A’s SAP planning and scheduling software. “This dashboard was designed to highlight the latest work plans, their performance and status, and provide users with system notifications, outage lookups, and quick access to what they’ve been working on,” Couch explains. “We made sure to prioritize functionality first, creating a layout that supported the user’s needs. Then, we enhanced it with a sleek, modern design that complemented the overall experience. With this solution, we truly achieved the ideal blend of usability and visual appeal.”
Understanding and Prioritizing User Needs
An effective dashboard design begins with a deep understanding of the people who will use it. By identifying and prioritizing user needs, you can create dashboards that cater to specific roles, streamline workflows, and deliver personalized experiences.
Identifying Needs
“We first start with a discovery phase in which our team identifies problems, pain points, and goals of the organization we’re working with,” Couch describes. “From there, we wireframe, prototype, and test designs to make sure functionality and actionable information displayed can solve the problems and help them reach their goals.”
This collaborative approach ensures that the design addresses real-world scenarios and provides meaningful solutions.
Prioritizing Needs
Not all users need access to the same information or functionality. To optimize the user experience, dashboards should be tailored using roles and permissions. This allows each user to see only the data and tools most relevant to their role. For instance, a maintenance planner might require access to scheduling tools and asset performance metrics, while an executive might prioritize high-level performance dashboards and financial summaries. Customizing access in this way keeps the interface clean and ensures users can focus on what matters most to them.
Creating Dashboards That Deliver Results
At their core, dashboards are tools designed to transform raw data into actionable insights. A well-designed dashboard doesn’t just display information—it guides users to take meaningful action. By incorporating features like system notifications, intuitive layouts, and role-specific data prioritization, dashboards can help users identify trends, address issues, and confidently make informed decisions.
At the end of the day, as Couch emphasizes, “any dashboard design—or any solution design—is a team effort. I couldn’t do what I do as effectively without the help of S4A’s amazing functional experts, solution architects, project managers, and developers.” This collaborative approach ensures that every design aspect, from functionality to visual appeal, works together to create a product that delivers real user value.
If you’re ready to empower your organization with dashboards that turn data into action, S4A can help. Contact us today to learn about our suite of solutions designed to help EAM companies maximize the value of their SAP investment.
