---
title: Dashboard Design Best Practices | DesignMind
description: Nearly 100 BI professionals showed up in Mountain View to hear Microsoft BI expert Dan Bulos discuss Dashboard Design Best Practices.
image: https://www.designmind.com/hubfs/data%20visuals.png
---

[![DesignMind Data and Analytics Experts](https://www.designmind.com/hubfs/logo-desingdind__whitetext.svg)](https://www.designmind.com)

- [About Us](https://www.designmind.com/about-us)
  
  [About Us](https://www.designmind.com/about-us) [Leadership](https://www.designmind.com/leadership) [Press](https://www.designmind.com/press) [Clients](https://www.designmind.com/clients) [Technology Partners](https://www.designmind.com/technology-partners)
- [Services](https://www.designmind.com/services)
  
  [Services](https://www.designmind.com/services) [AI and Data Science](https://www.designmind.com/ai-and-data-science-solutions) [Data and Analytics](https://www.designmind.com/data-and-analytics-services) [Data Lakehouse](https://www.designmind.com/data-and-analytics-services/data-lakehouse) [Data Warehouse](https://www.designmind.com/data-and-analytics-services/data-warehouse) [Master Data Management](https://www.designmind.com/data-and-analytics-services/master-data-management) [Modern App Dev](https://www.designmind.com/modern-application-development-services) [Power BI](https://www.designmind.com/power-bi-services) [Power BI Migrations](https://www.designmind.com/power-bi-services/power-bi-migrations) [Ad Hoc Consulting](https://www.designmind.com/ad-hoc-consulting)
- [Industries](https://www.designmind.com/industries)
  
  [Industries](https://www.designmind.com/industries) [Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC)](https://www.designmind.com/architecture-engineering-and-construction-aec) [Biotech/Healthcare](https://www.designmind.com/biotech-and-healthcare-data-services) [Financial and Fintech](https://www.designmind.com/financial-and-fintech-data-services) [Food and Beverage](https://www.designmind.com/food-and-beverage-data-services) [Manufacturing](https://www.designmind.com/manufacturing-data-services) [Retail and eCommerce](https://www.designmind.com/retail-and-ecommerce-data-services) [Semiconductors](https://www.designmind.com/semiconductor-industry-data-analytic-services) [Technology and SaaS](https://www.designmind.com/technology-and-media-data-services)
- [Meetups](https://www.designmind.com/microsoft-technical-community-groups)
- [Videos](https://www.designmind.com/videos)

- [Press](https://www.designmind.com/press)
- [Blog](https://www.designmind.com/blog)
- [Jobs](https://www.designmind.com/jobs)
- <https://www.designmind.com/press>

[CONTACT](https://www.designmind.com/contact)

MENU

- [About Us](https://www.designmind.com/about-us)
  
  [About Us](https://www.designmind.com/about-us) [Leadership](https://www.designmind.com/leadership) [Press](https://www.designmind.com/press) [Clients](https://www.designmind.com/clients) [Technology Partners](https://www.designmind.com/technology-partners)
- [Services](https://www.designmind.com/services)
  
  [Services](https://www.designmind.com/services) [AI and Data Science](https://www.designmind.com/ai-and-data-science-solutions) [Data and Analytics](https://www.designmind.com/data-and-analytics-services) [Data Lakehouse](https://www.designmind.com/data-and-analytics-services/data-lakehouse) [Data Warehouse](https://www.designmind.com/data-and-analytics-services/data-warehouse) [Master Data Management](https://www.designmind.com/data-and-analytics-services/master-data-management) [Modern App Dev](https://www.designmind.com/modern-application-development-services) [Power BI](https://www.designmind.com/power-bi-services) [Power BI Migrations](https://www.designmind.com/power-bi-services/power-bi-migrations) [Ad Hoc Consulting](https://www.designmind.com/ad-hoc-consulting)
- [Industries](https://www.designmind.com/industries)
  
  [Industries](https://www.designmind.com/industries) [Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC)](https://www.designmind.com/architecture-engineering-and-construction-aec) [Biotech/Healthcare](https://www.designmind.com/biotech-and-healthcare-data-services) [Financial and Fintech](https://www.designmind.com/financial-and-fintech-data-services) [Food and Beverage](https://www.designmind.com/food-and-beverage-data-services) [Manufacturing](https://www.designmind.com/manufacturing-data-services) [Retail and eCommerce](https://www.designmind.com/retail-and-ecommerce-data-services) [Semiconductors](https://www.designmind.com/semiconductor-industry-data-analytic-services) [Technology and SaaS](https://www.designmind.com/technology-and-media-data-services)
- [Meetups](https://www.designmind.com/microsoft-technical-community-groups)
- [Videos](https://www.designmind.com/videos)
- [Press](https://www.designmind.com/press)
- [Blog](https://www.designmind.com/blog)
- [Jobs](https://www.designmind.com/jobs)
- <https://www.designmind.com/press>

July 17, 2012 Mark Ginnebaugh ![Mark Ginnebaugh](https://www.designmind.com/hs-fs/hubfs/team/designmind-team_mark-ginnebaugh.jpg?width=60&height=60&name=designmind-team_mark-ginnebaugh.jpg)

# Dashboard Design Best Practices

 

## Business Intelligence Dashboard Design Best Practices

Nearly 100 BI professionals showed up in Mountain View to hear **Microsoft BI expert Dan Bulos** discuss **Dashboard Design Best Practices**.  It’s a topic he knows well, having received an award at TechEd 2010.

Even the most significant information can be lost if it’s not displayed in a memorable way.  Is the right format for critical values a grid, a graph, a gauge, maps, diagrams, or something else? Where does a scorecard fit in?

 

[![Dashboard Design Best Practices with Mark Ginnebaugh and Dan Bulos](https://www.designmind.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Dan-Bulos-and-Mark-Ginnebaugh-300x188-Dec-17-2021-07-15-21-90-PM.jpg?width=272&height=170&name=Dan-Bulos-and-Mark-Ginnebaugh-300x188-Dec-17-2021-07-15-21-90-PM.jpg)](https://www.designmind.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Dan-Bulos-and-Mark-Ginnebaugh-Dec-17-2021-07-15-21-41-PM.jpg) **Dan advocates for keeping dashboards simple – particularly for initial release. ** As he pointed out, users can absorb and will ask for more information on a dashboard over time.  But at the beginning, there should be a zero learning curve.  This requires that dashboard developers truly understand what’s important to their users, and communicate only the most critical indicators, which should be exception oriented.

Check out the slides above, especially the road map by Andrew Abela on page 33, which shows what type of charts to use depending on what you’re trying to accomplish.  And join us at an upcoming meeting of the [**Bay Area Microsoft Business Intelligence Group**](http://www.meetup.com/San-Francisco-Bay-Area-Microsoft-BI-User-Group/).  We meet on the first Thursday of every month in either San Francisco or Mountain View.

 

 

## Stay up to date. Subscribe to our newsletter.

[![DesignMind The Data & Analytics Experts](https://www.designmind.com/hubfs/logo-desingdind__whitetext.svg)](https://www.designmind.com)

[X - Twitter](https://twitter.com/designminddata) [LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/company/designmind) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@DesignMindData)

[CONTACT](https://www.designmind.com/contact)

### Services

- [AI AND DATA SCIENCE](https://www.designmind.com/ai-and-data-science-solutions)
- [DATA ANALYTICS](https://www.designmind.com/data-and-analytics-services)
- [MODERN APP DEV](https://www.designmind.com/modern-application-development-services)
- [POWER BI](https://www.designmind.com/power-bi-services)

### Learn

- [INDUSTRIES](https://www.designmind.com/industries)
- [BLOG](https://www.designmind.com/blog)
- [PRESS](https://www.designmind.com/press)
- [MEETUPS](https://www.designmind.com/microsoft-technical-community-groups)

### About

- [ABOUT DESIGNMIND](https://www.designmind.com/about-us)
- [LEADERSHIP TEAM](https://www.designmind.com/leadership)
- [CLIENTS](https://www.designmind.com/clients)
- [PARTNERS](https://www.designmind.com/technology-partners)

© 2026 DesignMind. All rights reserved. | [Privacy and Cookie Policy](https://www.designmind.com/designmind-data-consultants/privacy-and-cookie-policy)

![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=5958204&fmt=gif)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Mark Ginnebaugh",
    "url" : "https://www.designmind.com/blog/author/mark-ginnebaugh"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2023-12-12T01:38:35.990Z",
  "datePublished" : "2012-07-17T07:00:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "Dashboard Design Best Practices | DesignMind",
  "image" : [ "https://www.designmind.com/hubfs/data%20visuals.png" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.designmind.com/blog/business-intelligence/dashboard-design",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://www.designmind.com/hubfs/DM%20Vector%20Logo-1.png"
    },
    "name" : "DesignMind"
  }
}
```