This chapter was particularly influenced by the giants in data visualization and dashboard design – Edward Tufte and Stephen Few. I would also like to draw attention to Alberto Cairo – a relatively new voice who is providing new insights. Each of these authors should be considered a must read for anyone working in data visualization.
This chapter will address three main categories with the intent of empowering the reader with design knowledge and Tableau-centric techniques for creating effective dashboards.
In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:
- Visualization design theory
- Formatting rules
- Color rules
- Visualization type rules
- Compromises
- Keeping visualizations simple
- Dashboard design
- Dashboard layout
- Sheet Selection