How do you test and validate your dashboard usability and functionality with your audience?

1 Define your goals and metrics

Before you start testing your dashboard, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it and how you will measure its success. Think about the purpose, scope, and audience of your dashboard, and define specific, measurable, and relevant goals and metrics that align with them. For example, if your dashboard is for sales managers, you might want to track revenue, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction.

2 Choose a testing method

Different methods exist for testing the usability and functionality of your dashboard, depending on the resources, time, and feedback you need. User testing, for example, involves observing and interviewing real or potential users of the dashboard and asking them to perform tasks, answer questions, and share their opinions. This can be done remotely or in person with tools like Zoom, UserTesting, or Hotjar. Heuristic evaluation is another method which involves evaluating the dashboard against best practices or principles for design such as clarity, simplicity, consistency, and interactivity. Tools like CheckMyDash or Dashboard Design Checklist can help you perform this yourself or with a team. A/B testing is a third method which involves creating two or more versions of the dashboard with different design elements, features, or content and comparing how they perform on your goals and metrics. Google Analytics, Optimizely, or VWO are some tools that can help you run A/B tests on your dashboard.

3 Collect and analyze feedback

Once you have chosen a testing method, you need to collect and analyze feedback from your users or evaluators. Depending on the method, you can use different types of feedback, such as quantitative data like clicks, views, time spent, conversions, ratings, and scores. To visualize and analyze this data, you can use tools like Google Data Studio, Tableau, or Power BI. Additionally, qualitative feedback can be collected and analyzed with tools like SurveyMonkey, Typeform, or Qualtrics. This type of feedback includes comments, suggestions, complaints, compliments, and emotions.

4 Implement and iterate

Based on the feedback you collected and analyzed, you need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your dashboard, and prioritize the areas for improvement. You can use tools like Trello, Asana, or Jira to create and manage a backlog of tasks and issues for your dashboard. Then, you need to implement the changes and test them again with your audience, until you reach a satisfactory level of usability and functionality. Remember that dashboard testing and validation is an ongoing process, not a one-time event.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?