A few weeks ago I hosted a free webinar on creating Coda dashboards. I have so many clients request a dashboard to visualize their data since they can be such a game-changer for businesses, but dashboards in Coda are actually trickier than you might think. We had a great turn out for the online event, but I wanted to give you a quick rundown of what we discussed in case you couldn’t make it!
The Story Behind the Data
Building a great dashboard goes beyond just displaying numbers. It’s about understanding the narrative within the data. Dashboards offer invaluable insights that drive informed decision-making in any industry. In the webinar, I emphasized the importance of comprehending the story behind the numbers and using tables, formulas, and charts to bring that story to life. By focusing on the context and narrative, we can create dashboards that truly resonate with our teams and users.
Dynamic Data Manipulation
Dashboards aren’t just about displaying static information; they’re about facilitating action. Filtering and sorting data is essential to having dynamic dashboards. This layer of functionality enables us to manage and prioritize data efficiently.
Coda empowers us to adapt and interact with the data in our dashboards in real-time. We can also view our data from different perspectives, such as charts, tables, cards, etc. which adds to the versatility and interactivity of our dashboards.
Crafting Compelling Charts
One crucial aspect of dashboard design is creating charts. During the event, I demonstrated crafting effective charts, and offered tips for configuration and presentation. When we leverage graphs and canvas controls, we can display our data in really engaging ways, which will ensure that our dashboards are not only super informative, but also visually stellar. Coda charts are super powerful, but there's a bit of a learning curve for them. I'll give you a brief overview here.
Making a Chart View
First, make sure that the data you want to visualize is suitable for a chart view - not everything is. For example, you probably don’t need to see a pie chart of your contacts list, or a bar chart for your calendar. Some charts are better than others for certain types of data or what you’re doing with the data. Check out this awesome Infogram article that explains how to decide what might work best for your data needs.
Image Source: BiuwerOnce you’ve decided what chart type should be used for what you want to see from your data, start typing /chart in your Coda doc canvas and you’ll see several options. Let’s go with the classic Bar chart for this example. (You can also turn an existing table or view into a chart by clicking on the Options part of the table and then choosing Chart.)
Available options when creating a new chart in CodaSo many choices!
Ok, so this is where things get dicey. Making the chart show exactly what you want it to can be complex. Here’s a current list of things you can customize for your chart, no matter what type of chart you’re using:
- Axis / Values - Decide how you want to summarize data (by age? by category?), and which data you want to visualize
- Aggregate Values - Toggle this on to combine values into a singe data point if there are more than one with the same value (ex: two people of the same age are grouped)
- Segment By - Look at data by type to compare and contrast (not available in all chart types)
- Orientation - Choose vertical (default) or horizontal (ex: the bars will go up from the bottom or across from the left)
- Range - Pick a minimum and maximum value if you want to exclude outliers in your chart
- Vertical Axis Scale - Choose either linear (equal vertical spacing - this is default) or logarithmic scales (variable based on data points)
- Stacking - See similar values in a stack
In the example below, I only have a few data points in my table, and look at all the decisions I need to make about how to display what I want! * WHEW! *
A variety of Coda chart options available to visualize exactly what you needAgain, make sure you have a clear idea of what data you want your chart to visualize so you don’t get lost in the options! And to see a walkthrough on creating dashboards, check out my YouTube video!
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