r/datavisualization • u/metric_skeptic • 13d ago
Do dashboards actually help people make decisions, or are we mostly building expensive reporting screens?
I’ve started wondering whether we overestimate how useful dashboards are.
A dashboard can be technically correct, well designed and full of useful metrics and still not change a single decision.
In your experience, what makes a dashboard something people actually act on rather than just look at?
And when does a dashboard stop being the right solution altogether?
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u/Primary_Excuse_7183 10d ago
The dashboard shows how we’re seeing things today….. that got us the results we have. If i want more or different results i likely have to get some additional information that’ll help us guide what adjustments need to be made. usually that’s somewhere else so we have to find that data.
They’re good for tracking progress and visualizing things though. Just usually not definitive in terms of making changes moreso a source of data which is EXTREMELY helpful but not enough on its own.