Analytics Reporting Design
Dashboard Layout
- KPI cards at top (3-5 key metrics).
- Primary visualization below (the story).
- Supporting charts in a grid.
- Date range selector (global).
- Comparison: vs previous period, vs goal.
Chart Selection
| Data Type |
Chart |
| Trend over time |
Line chart |
| Comparison across categories |
Bar chart (horizontal for long labels) |
| Part of whole |
Donut chart (max 5 segments) |
| Distribution |
Histogram |
| Correlation |
Scatter plot |
| Geographic |
Choropleth map |
Report Builder
- Drag-and-drop chart placement.
- Data source selector.
- Filter/dimension picker.
- Export: PDF, CSV, scheduled email.
Anti-Patterns
- Pie charts with more than 5 slices.
- 3D charts (ever).
- Dual Y-axis charts (confusing).
- Truncated Y-axis that exaggerates trends.
- Auto-refreshing data without indicating the refresh.
