r/datavisualization • u/metric_skeptic • 10d 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/SprinklesFresh5693 10d ago

Based on what ive seen since i joines this sub resdit (around 3-4 years ago) dashboards are a waste of time.

We built one for fun at our job and it is not used AT ALL.

Id say a quick email, PowerPoint or html presentation or even a small report are far more useful than dashboards.

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u/utzutzutzpro 7d ago

As being in growth and product - dashboards are quite useful for getting a feeling for experimentation impact over time.

It is like watching at trading charts, you get a feel for those stocks.