1. Visualize the data
Welcome back! Now that we have properly prepped all the data, let us begin by laying out the requirements for our dashboard, and then review a few of the elements of the dashboard.
2. Requirements of the dashboard
Let's explore the requirements for an effective dashboard.
First, the dashboard must be easily understood by a broad range of audiences, including both the client and the digital marketing team.
Second, the dashboard should relay the most important metrics. It is easy to dig deep into data and find interesting relationships based on obscure metrics, but this information does not belong in the dashboard, as it will not be easily understood by all audiences or help in making key decisions.
Finally, the dashboard must get to the point while still delivering important information. Much like the previous requirement, a dashboard is not meant to show all of the analysis; instead, it should show the most important takeaways of key metrics.
Now that we have these requirements fresh in our mind, let's take a look at an example dashboard.
3. Example dashboard
Here is a simple dashboard reporting on campaign data. Let us step through the different parts of the dashboard. Recall that you can use the chart editor to modify the chart type.
4. Building a simple dashboard
Overall, this dashboard has 5 major parts.
5. Building a simple dashboard
First, we see a data validation dropdown menu at the top. This is exactly like the one we created previously. This acts as the filter and allows the user to filter all of the charts based on whatever the value is in the dropdown.
6. Building a simple dashboard
Next, we have the filtered table. Like the dropdown, this is exactly like the filtered table created previously. Even though this table is not as visually appealing as a chart, it is important to include, as it allows the user to see how the dropdown filter changes the data.
7. Building a simple dashboard
The first chart we will look at is a pie chart. This chart shows the percent make up of impressions for each campaign. Remember that a pie chart is the same as a doughnut chart, except a doughnut chart has a hole in the middle. Be sure to use the regex aggregate table to build this chart and not the filtered table, as this makes the construction of the charts easier to read.
8. Building a simple dashboard
We can also view the campaigns impressions and clicks using a stacked column chart. Recall, the only difference between a column chart and a bar chart is the axis on which the labels reside.
Also, if you want to view the percent make up for each metric by campaign, make sure to use a 100 percent stacked bar chart and check the box for switch columns and rows in the chart editor settings. Here is an example. Remember to use the regex aggregate table to construct this chart, which we will connect to the filtered table we created previously.
9. Building a simple dashboard
The last section of this dashboard is a bubble chart. This is a very good way to visualize the campaign performance, as you can see all three metrics, impressions, clicks, and cost, in a single plot. Remember that the the size of the dot is determined by a metric, which in this case is the total cost of each campaign.
10. Let's build a dashboard!
Let's build a dashboard!