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Dashboard Design

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Pages & Subpages

Pages are the default method for sharing and publishing content within Domo. Pages are designed to give you the freedom to structure and arrange your data stories. Within each page is the ability to create subpages of related content or reports. Determine which pages and subpages you’ll be creating first by asking who this dashboard is for and which business questions you’re going to solve for within those pages and subpage. Simple navigation is the goal; use a nomenclature/hierarchy of Pages and Subpages that’s familiar to the different functions within your company.

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Collections & Cards

Collections are best used to organize your cards around your business questions. Collections give you the ability to group your Primary Outcome card with the driver cards that answer your questions. Also, you can expand and/or collapse a collection of cards for a more fluid and clean navigation within a page.

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Layout Tips for Collections and Cards

  • Limiting your number of Collections to roughly 3-5 Collections per page is ideal for navigation and information consumption.
  • Collection Titles are ideally your most pressing Business Questions that correspond to the function or page in Dashboard.
  • Use the Description in your Collection to define the problems you want to solve and the goals you’re trying to achieve.
  • Use larger cards sizes for your Primary Outcome Cards or Hero Cards.
  • Select 3 to 6 Driver Cards per Collection that are sized smaller than the Hero Card. This will draw more attention and focus to your Primary Outcome(s) while still making it easy to see cards related to the Primary Outcome.

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Page Locking

Every Domo user has the ability to take the cards and collections created on a page and arrange them to a custom view that makes most sense to them. However, as a Page Owner there are times when you want to lock the page layout so it can’t be rearranged and the view is standardized for all users. In this case Page Owners can lock a page to maintain layout consistency for everyone access the page.

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Page Filtering

Page Filtering is best used to simplify and focus dashboards on data that matters most for the end user. For example, instead of a Manager having to build out a separate card for each Region or Country in your Business. You can quickly get to data and answer your questions by using Page Filters and filtering by country. Filters are not permanent and allow you to slice your data on the fly. You can quickly get to the information as well as save time by not having to build out a separate card for each dimension of the data you’re looking for.
While you can see the cards that are most directly related to a card in your collection the related card feature allows you to link to other cards found on other pages or subpages. This is especially useful if your related cards from other pages can provide more context and meaning to the card you’re viewing.

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Tracking to Goals/Pacing/Forecasting

Every Primary Outcome should have a goal you are tracking against and pacing to hit. We recommend cards that give context around the data being visualized. Visualizing your pace as it relates to the goal gives you quick insight on whether you’re on or off target. If you’re not on track and pacing with your goals, create cards that give you context to what you need to be doing in order to improve (what actions to take) to get back on track/pace.

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Comparing Historical Data/Trends

Comparing current data to historical data is another effective way to track progress. Historical data provides the context that many executives and managers need to determine how their strategies and activities are making an impact on the growth of the company. This example card allows you to predict where you are and where you will be in comparison to previous months.

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Content: Thinking across Multiple Datasets

Take a step back and think through the optimal metric required to drive the Primary Outcome you are looking for. What is the real outcome you are trying to impact? Most likely, it will take more than one DataSet to answer it. Don’t limit your dashboard simply by not thinking across DataSets. For example, you could track your campaign effectiveness three ways:
  • Good: “Leads by Campaign”
  • Better: “Revenue by Campaign”
  • Best: “ROI or Profitability by Campaign.”
The best tracking method typically requires multiple DataSets. Also, remember that your current access to data should not limit the creativity of which metrics you should be using or plan to use to run your business successfully. Identify the optimal metrics, even if you can’t build them now, to keep as a roadmap for where you want to go in the future.

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Forecasting, Predictive, & Multi-Linear Regression

Dashboards can be especially insightful when you apply Predictive and Multi-Linear Regression Modeling.

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Additional Elements in Domo to Optimize

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Alerts

Alerts are especially useful for the decision makers who aren’t interested in logging into the Domo platform every day in order to know what actions they should be taking with their business. Alerts allow business user to set up rules and conditions around their dashboards so as those are met they can get pinged directly when their attention is needed. Alerts tell you where to look for determining actions to take, and lead you to using Buzz as a collaboration tool to enact those decisions.

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Buzz

Buzz is great tool to implement Best Practices within your instance. As you initially design your dashboards and cards you’ll need quick collaboration and feedback on what you’ve built. The goal is to build the most useful and relevant dashboards that answer your users’ business questions. Buzz allows you to quickly iterate and collaborate on those core principles, accelerating the adoption of your Dashboards and Cards. Buzz can take the place of your weekly meetings, as you talk about the data and what decisions you’re going to make, the notifications of a card alert can be acted upon by having a meeting right then over Buzz to determine what you need to do.

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Projects and Tasks

Out of the business meetings you have in Buzz, with actions you need to happen based on your data, the projects and tasks can be assigned from Buzz conversations directly. By leveraging the value of Domo to establish a routine process of setting alerts, having Buzz collaboration conversations about a notification, and assigning projects and tasks based on the conversations, it allows you to move forward quickly on all of your data.