See how to avoid these mistakes when building your Excel dashboards: --No clear focus --Rainbow colors --Too crowded --Chart clutter --No interactivity

1. Worst
Excel
Dashboard
Mistakes
and how to avoid them

2. Mistake #
1
No clear focus

3. Fix #
1
Know what the dashboard is
designed to show
• What key information should be
highlighted?
• Which numbers are most important?

4. Fix #
1
Highlight key data at top

5. Mistake #
2
Rainbow Colors

6. Fix #
2
Rainbow colors distract
from the key information
• Select a muted color scheme
• Use stronger, brighter colors
sparingly, to draw attention to
key items

7. Fix #
2
Muted colors with a few accents

8. Mistake #
3
Too crowded

9. Fix #
3
Don’t include everything
• Too much data hides the key
information
• Limit the items and have links
to supplementary sheets

10. Fix #
3
Clean & simple layout

11. Mistake #
4
Chart Clutter

12. Fix #
4
Keep charts clean and simple
• Remove background colors,
gridlines and pictures
• No pie charts, or 3-D chart effects
to distort the data
• Simple color schemes in charts

13. Fix #
4
Clear charts, no
backgrounds or 3-D

14. Mistake #
5
No Interactivity

15. Fix #
5
Give Control to Users
• Option buttons, check boxes
• Scroll bars, spin buttons
• Drop down lists, slicers

16. Fix #
5
Add controls for Interactivity

17. 5
Excel Dashboard Tips
1. Highlight key data at top
2. Muted colors with a few accents
3. Clean & simple layout
4. Clear charts
5. Interactive controls

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