29 May 2023
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Simpler is generally better. As organisations produce, record, and monitor more data than ever, it can be easy to focus on the details and lose sight of the bigger picture. This is the value of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Simple metrics that deliver quick insights into the performance of an organisation, department, or individual – invaluable additions to the front page of a dashboard.
Vizlib’s KPI Designer was built to fit the varied requirements of the industries that measure operational KPIs through Qlik Sense. There are some universal best practices for utilising KPIs and how to effectively incorporate them into a dashboard.
This is why we ran the ‘KPIs Decoded: Unravelling Library Tips & Tricks’, where Vizlib Product Manager Luke Tolchard offered advice on how best to work with Vizlib’s KPI Designer.
In this article, we summarise the key takeaways from the webinar, covering how to improve the performance of KPIs on a dashboard, design considerations, and standardisation.
Optimising KPI objects: Reduce and combine
Combining KPIs into one object massively improves the performance of a dashboard. Qlik renders items one at a time; by combining KPIs they render simultaneously, delivering the information faster.
Favouring simplicity over technicality also helps the dashboard run more efficiently. This speaks as much to the nature of KPIs as to their technical delivery. An effective KPI should not be whole new visualization, but specific insights into one of the organisation’s essential objectives.
This could be Repeat Customer Rate, Subscriber Count, or Patient Wait Time, depending on the industry. The trade off is that simpler insights are faster to load but do not utilise some of Vizlib’s more powerful analytics features, like Advanced Analytics and Master Items.
Design considerations: Simplicity and layers
Our main advice: keep it simple! Filtering out the noise and communicating the metrics that really matter not only improves the utility of your dashboard, but leads to better design choices.
The KPI objects should reflect the business’ key metrics. The more powerful, detailed visualisations can be saved for dedicated sections of the dashboard.
Some more specific advice: label the layers. This helps with keeping track of what each component does and makes adjustments much easier.
Standardisation
Vizlib allows users to choose from and customise a range of KPI visualization templates. This saves time that would have been spent designing templates from scratch, but also ensures standardisation across an organisation.
Structuring information in the same way looks more professional and enhances the accessibility of the dashboard, as users become familiar with the style.
This is especially useful given the diverse applications of KPIs: they can be employed for measuring the performance of an entire organisation, right down to that of individual employees.
What’s next?
The next instalment of Vizlib’s Decoded series is Self-Service, with Michael Nordström, Head of Qlik products at Vizlib. Michael will be taking us on a deep dive into the best practices for Self-Service, covering FAQs, and some personal tips and tricks for getting the most out of features like Custom Report.
You can register for Self-Service Decoded: Unlocking Insights in Seconds on 13 June 2023 (15:00 BST / 10:00 ET / 7:00 PT) here.
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