Dashboard critique
Spot the mistakes.
This is a realistic executive dashboard, and it’s full of problems. Tap everything a pro would flag. There are four to find.
About this exercise
A realistic executive dashboard with 4 common design mistakes. This exercise trains your eye to spot problems before a dashboard is shared.
How it works
- Look at the dashboard the way a reviewer would.
- Tap every part you think is a problem.
- Read the explanation and the fix for each mistake you find.
Answer key
- 12 KPIs, no priority: A dozen equal-weight KPIs means none of them is the headline. Pick 1 hero + 3 supporting.
- 3D rainbow pie: 3D distorts the slices and 8 colours fight for attention. Use a sorted bar instead.
- Truncated axis: The y-axis starts at 80, not 0 — turning a 2% change into a cliff. Start at zero.
- Everything is bold red: When every number is red and bold, urgency loses all meaning. Reserve red for real problems.