How can you make your BI dashboards more accessible?

I find it interesting that most articles about making dashboards better or "more accessible" start with the choice of the BI tool. I would suggest to start with some key questions, such as - What is the customer trying to achieve - What are the strategic goals / KPIs - What impact will it have for the customer to not measure those KPIs Try to understand the current business pain for the customer and start with that and try to create a set of KPIs and supporting measures aligned with those strategic goals. The choice of BI tool shouldn't be the first topic.

Here are some of the ways to make BI Dashboard more accessible. -Understand the problem you are trying to solve -Understand the end user and audience -Understand how they will use the dashboard. Are they using the dashboard to make decisions? Are they using it in a Monthly Business Review Meeting? Do they need to copy and paste into a PowerPoint? Who are they sharing the metrics with? -Have visualizations with clear labels and numbers -Don’t rely on color alone with the dashboard -Use recognizable visualization -Have summarized tabular version of the numbers/data available -Only include what is needed and what will be used -Test out new reporting capabilities that involve audio, natural language capability, etc.

Choose the BI tool that fits your budget, requirements, and architecture. Personally, I like Qlik. It takes work on the back end, but your dashboards can be designed for intuitive and friendly navigation. Power BI is popular because Microsoft is getting into the market. It has good capabilities, but it's a little clunky for my tastes. Tableau is everywhere in the US. It's a decent BI tool, but we're not seeing much innovation. There are plenty of other tools in the market. Ask around, do your research, and get a trial to run a decent test. But Qlik is still the best for clean dashboards.

To make our dashboard more accessible to stakeholders, BI tool plays a vital role. Choosing the right tool is more important. We have to do some research, understand all the features available in those tools, compare them and select one BI tool based on our data and our requirements. Tool should be user friendly because, not all stakeholders will be familiar with all the tools. For this we need to know audience as well.

It's important to consider if the selected BI tools will be mostly self-service-oriented, expert-based, or maybe a mix of both. Then, considering costs, you can establish a selection grid with criteria to help make a wise choice. BI tools often offer a free trial period that can be used to try and get feedback from the business. It will help to determine which tools the business likes the most and will strengthen support for the project in the next step. As a most important part, technical aspects need to meet the enterprise requirements about integration, security and compliance.

Take your dashboard and make the "5 second test" with someone that has not seen the dashboard. Can you identify what the dashboard is trying to explain / message ? Can you identify the main problem in the KPIs ? Consistency is key - same colors, same type of visualizations, same icons, ...

Our report/dashboard should be more simple and easily understandable. We need to concentrate on the layout and design (like colors, fonts & chart types). All the visuals should be simple in nature to understand. Selection of graphs/charts should be based on the data. For example, trend data should be depicted as Line Chart and Categorical values should be depicted as Column/Bar chart based on the number of categories we have. If we keep more number of charts or visuals in a dashboard, it will be cluttered and not readable. To keep ours visuals more accessible, they should be easy to read, navigate & understand. Every graph/chart should have clear titles, labels and legends wherever necessary.

Simplifying your BI dashboard involves decluttering unnecessary information, prioritizing key metrics, and organizing data intuitively for quick comprehension. Use clear visuals, concise labels, and intuitive navigation to streamline the user experience.

Keep it simple and clean. Numeric metrics on top, with a few charts showing key trends or measurements. Your clients should be able to open the dashboard and locate their information within 4 seconds. Details and added info should be accessible with a mouse click. Colors and templates are often set by the company, but work within those constraints to design a clean interface. And work to change the standards.

Integrating a color scheme that aligns with the company's brand is crucial for maintaining a consistent and recognizable visual identity. By incorporating the company's branding colors into the dashboard design, you not only enhance the overall aesthetics but also reinforce brand recognition. This consistency across platforms helps create a unified and professional image, fostering a sense of trust and familiarity among users. Therefore, when simplifying the design for accessibility, it's valuable to prioritize color choices that not only adhere to accessibility principles but also reflect the unique identity and branding of the company you represent.

Creating alternative formats for BI dashboards, like text summaries or audio descriptions, is vital for inclusivity. It ensures everyone, regardless of preference or ability, can access and understand the data, promoting equal engagement and understanding.

Keep in mind that some people are colorblind. Sometimes uses of red and green can be problematic; and sometimes it goes beyond that. Use a colorblind-friendly palette whenever possible. Dark vs. light is a good idea if you are going to use red and green; be sure they differ enough to be distinct. Finally, give people an option to switch to a colorblind version of the visuals.

Dashboards are useless if the data is incorrect or if the charts don't communicate accurately. Toolkits exist for automated testing and accessibility checks. Beyond that, your best bet is simply to put users in front of the dashboards and see how long it takes them to understand the numbers.

Accessibility is key to useful dashboard design. A user should not require instruction to locate metrics or navigate the dashboard, and more information should always be available with a hover or mouse click. Accessibility also involves inclusivity. Design your dashboards to make data available to users who have difficulty discerning colors or have other challenges. This can involve 'Alt' text, screen readers, or other capabilities. Mostly: keep it short and simple. Or "keep it simple, stupid" (as I originally learned it).