Course Description

Dashboards are everywhere—in enterprise software, Google Analytics and Facebook Ads Manager, and even popular blogs such as WordPress and Medium. With the big data and business analytics industry set to grow from $130bn in 2016 to more than $203bn in 20201, dashboards are going to become increasingly important. But how do you pack increasingly huge amounts of data into increasingly streamlined, tiny dashboards?

“Information Visualization: Getting Dashboards Right” will lead you through some of the key considerations when designing dashboard displays. Some design choices may seem arbitrary, such as the color of the background display or the size of the company logo, but almost every decision can potentially make, or ruin, the viewing experience. Through this course, we help you identify many of the design pitfalls your competitors have already fallen into. We will equip you with a deeper understanding of your users, so you know how to reduce their burden of responsibility as well as promote insight—the main reason for using dashboards as the chosen display method.

By the end of the course, you will have a clear understanding of how to design the right dashboards for your intended users, saving yourself the effort of endless edits. You will also be able to avoid the common faults blighting your competitors' designs by being equipped with the necessary information to design products that provide your users with the best possible viewing experience and, in turn, generate an increase in sales.

What you will learn

  • An introduction to the subject of dashboard design
  • Key considerations, such as using the pre-attentive attributes of color, form, orientation, and spatial location
  • Visual perception, encompassing how, what, and why we see what we do, and how to use color and images
  • Key concepts related to dashboard design, such as the “data-ink ratio,” summaries and exceptions, the benefits of customization, and how to promote insight
  • Some of the psychological aspects of dashboard use, including attention, short-term memory, and problem solving
  • Examples of good and bad design to help you avoid common mistakes
  • The importance of viewing experience over aesthetics

Who should take this course

This is an intermediate-level course suitable for students and professionals alike:

  • UX designers interested in learning the key considerations, design pitfalls, and how to promote insight when designing dashboards
  • Project managers looking to create dashboard displays that are relevant and effective to users
  • Software engineers interested in the best practices for designing dashboards
  • Entrepreneurs who want to create dashboard displays that are relevant and that will increase sales
  • Students and newcomers to design who are considering making a switch to UX, UI, or web design

Courses in the Interaction Design Foundation are designed to contain comprehensive, evidence-based content, while ensuring that the learning curve is never too steep. All participants will have the opportunity to share ideas, seek help with tests, and enjoy the social aspects afforded by our open and friendly forum.

Learn and work with a global team of designers

When you take part in this course, you will join a global multidisciplinary team working on the course and the exercises at the same time as you. You will work together to improve your skills and understanding. Your course group will be made up of an incredibly diverse group of professionals, all of whom have the same objective—to become successful designers. It’s your chance to learn, grow, and network with your peers across the planet.

1 Double-Digit Growth Forecast for the Worldwide Big Data and Business Analytics Market Through 2020 Led by Banking and Manufacturing Investments, International Data Corporation

Lessons in this course

Note: Lessons become available at a schedule of one lesson per week. Once a lesson becomes available, it is open for you forever — you can take all the time you want to go through each lesson. There is no time limit to finish a course, and you always have access to your classmates, course material, and your answers.

The estimated time to complete this course is a total of 9 hours 13 mins spread over 8 weeks.

Lesson 0: Introductions and welcome

Available once you start the course. Estimated time to complete: 49 mins.

Lesson 1: Information Visualization: An Introduction to Dashboard Design

Available once you start the course. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 31 mins.

Lesson 2: Dashboard Design: Key Considerations

Available anytime after Jul 01, 2018. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 28 mins.

Lesson 3: Dashboard Design: Visual Perception and the Gestalt Principles

Available anytime after Jul 08, 2018. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 4 mins.

Lesson 4: Dashboard Design Considerations: Practical Application

Available anytime after Jul 15, 2018. Estimated time to complete: 36 mins.

Lesson 5: Common Display Methods

Available anytime after Jul 22, 2018. Estimated time to complete: 55 mins.

Lesson 6: Further Dashboard Display Methods

Available anytime after Jul 29, 2018. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 4 mins.

Lesson 7: Dashboard Design: Think of the Users!

Available anytime after Aug 05, 2018. Estimated time to complete: 59 mins.

Lesson 8: Dashboard Design: Applying and Summarising

Available anytime after Aug 12, 2018. Estimated time to complete: 47 mins.

Lesson 9: Course Certificate, Final Networking, and Course Wrap-up

Available anytime after Aug 19, 2018.

  • 9.1: Course Evaluation (1 min)
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Industry-trusted UX Course Certificate

You earn an industry-trusted Course Certificate once you complete the course - even if you finish the course after the official end date. In other words, as long as you have enrolled in the course you will always be able to finish it and to get a course certificate. You will also have permanent access to the course material, your answers and the discussions.

Course Certificates from the IDF are verifiable and trusted by industry leaders. You can highlight them on your resume, CV, LinkedIn profile or your website.

Course Certificate

Our courses and Course Certificates are trusted by these industry leaders, who have taken up company memberships with the IDF:

Accenture Adobe GE Philips SAP