Article · 12 min read

Dashboards: Making Charts and Graphs Easier to Understand

Page Laubheimer, Nielsen Norman Group · Nielsen Norman Group Free Intermediate

NN/g explains preattentive processing, the reason some numbers pop out in milliseconds and others get lost. Understanding this tells you which visual signals to spend on the one metric that matters and which to keep flat. It is grounded in usability research rather than opinion.

  • The eye reads length and position faster than any other cue
  • Save strong signals like bold color for the single key number
  • If everything is emphasized, nothing is
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The question it answers

  1. How do I make a data-heavy dashboard readable instead of an overwhelming wall of numbers?

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