Dashboard (interface)
Encyclopedia
In computer
user interface
s, a dashboard is a floating window
that provides contextual access to commonly used tools in a software program. The interface is used to greatest effect in full-screen editing modes. Dashboard user interfaces are also used to display management information in an easy to read mode, like a speedometer or heat gauge. Dashboard displays of this type were first introduced in the 1980s as components of executive information systems.
Computer
dashboards should be designed for clarity, visual appeal, with carefully designed layout taking into account the initial focus. Too much clutter can be confusing and can mask critical information
- imagine a car dashboard with hundreds of knobs and dials and you can’t find the speedometer! More information may be made available by providing the ability drill-down.
Today, dashboard technology takes many forms and may be customized by users in areas such as business intelligence
, information technology
, and performance management
. A performance dashboard, for example, allows businesspeople to monitor metrics, analyze the causes of issues, and manage staff to improve decision making.
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
s, a dashboard is a floating window
Window (computing)
In computing, a window is a visual area containing some kind of user interface. It usually has a rectangular shape that can overlap with the area of other windows...
that provides contextual access to commonly used tools in a software program. The interface is used to greatest effect in full-screen editing modes. Dashboard user interfaces are also used to display management information in an easy to read mode, like a speedometer or heat gauge. Dashboard displays of this type were first introduced in the 1980s as components of executive information systems.
Computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
dashboards should be designed for clarity, visual appeal, with carefully designed layout taking into account the initial focus. Too much clutter can be confusing and can mask critical information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
- imagine a car dashboard with hundreds of knobs and dials and you can’t find the speedometer! More information may be made available by providing the ability drill-down.
Today, dashboard technology takes many forms and may be customized by users in areas such as business intelligence
Business intelligence
Business intelligence mainly refers to computer-based techniques used in identifying, extracting, and analyzing business data, such as sales revenue by products and/or departments, or by associated costs and incomes....
, information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, and performance management
Performance management
Performance management includes activities that ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. Performance management can focus on the performance of an organization, a department, employee, or even the processes to build a product or service, as well as many...
. A performance dashboard, for example, allows businesspeople to monitor metrics, analyze the causes of issues, and manage staff to improve decision making.