How Building Custom Dashboard Web Applications Help Modern Decision Making Processes?

A web application without a DASHBOARD?!!! — this is not going to work.

We have data all around us. With so many statistics, facts, figures, just as data in your business may not help in improving your business objectives. If you want to represent any crucial information about your business to your decision makers (CXOs, Management), you need to take advantage of the interactive dashboards. These dashboards have the ability to engage the audience, provide a better understanding of the business insights, hence, leading to quick decisions on the enhancement of your business.

In this article, we are sharing some information about the dashboard, popular themes for creating it on platforms like WordPress and Laravel, and how they help in your decision making processes.

What is a Dashboard?

Dashboard is the visual representation of all your data. It is all about monitoring, analyzing, measuring and extracting relevant insights from different data sources and displaying information in a visually appealing manner. It is usually configurable, and you are provided with the ability to choose the data that you want to display, along with the inclusion of charts/graphs to visualize the numbers in a better way.

Any business can make use of a dashboard to have a better understanding of their performance, create reports and to take decisions for the improvement of the business. Dashboard can help businesses with,

  • A visual representation of your business insights
  • Measuring the efficiency of the efforts made 
  • The ability to know the trends
  • Identification of area that needs improvement
  • Taking more informed decision

Did you know?

Always make sure the data given in the dashboard is accurate, simple and clean

What is a Dashboard Web Application?

Dashboard is the first thing that every user would look for in a web application. From a user’s point of view, it is the space where the users can get an overview of their relationship with business.

For example: Amazon provides it users with a dashboard with

  • Order history
  • Order tracking
  • Amazon transactions
  • Return and refunds
  • Account settings

These insights would help users to understand their relationship with your business and similarly, it helps in understanding your customers in a better way.

Examples of Modern Dashboards and Decision Processes

The business dashboards are of four types,

  • Strategic dashboard
  • Operational dashboard
  • Analytical dashboard
  • Tactical dashboard

Dashboard should be well-defined and created with the purpose of user-focused

Strategic Dashboard

This type of dashboard focuses on high-level metric and long-term strategies.

Example: Management strategic dashboard

Strategic Dashboard Web App Example
Source : datapine

The dashboard represents total revenue, customer base and the cost in acquiring new customers.

Operational Dashboard

This type of dashboard focuses on short-term deadlines and operational procedures.

Example: Marketing operational dashboard

Marketing Operational Dashboard Web Application Example
Source: datapine

The above dashboard displays the performance of three campaigns over the last 12 weeks. This dashboard is extremely useful when you have plans for optimizing the campaigns. The real-time and accurate data would help the campaign manager to improve the campaigns to produce the best results.

Analytical Dashboard

This type of dashboard contains a large amount of data created by analysts.

Example: Healthcare analytical dashboard

Healthcare Analytical Dashboard Application Example
Source: datapine

The dashboard displays the patient’s satisfaction score, average waiting time and more. This would help in optimizing the service offered, which would result in better productivity.

Tactical Dashboard

This type of dashboard is used by mid-level management to track performance.

Example: IT project management dashboard 

Tactical Dashboard Web Application Example for IT Project Management

This dashboard represents the overview of the project – its overall performance, time spent on tasks, effectiveness of the parties involved and more. Though there are various ways to represent the performance of a project, this dashboard would help in monitoring the project management efforts and would also alert if the project has any deviation in the process.

Tips to Build a Custom Dashboard Application

Dashboard gathers all important information and provides on-demand access to it. It is the platform that offers data transparency by giving a detailed overview of the business in a glance. It is essential that the data you display through the dashboard is unbiased and easily understandable for better decision making.

Checkout this case study of Zack Location, for whom ColorWhistle created a dashboard on the WordPress platform

Here are few tips that you can follow if you are planning to build a custom dashboard for your application

  • You need to research on your target audience and their objectives by understanding their needs and pain points 
  • Ensure that the data you collect is clean and proper. Along with the source of the data, follow a proper data quality management which would help in delivering accurate data in the dashboard
  • Build your dashboard’s visualization with the right type of chart that could represent your data in its best way
  • The third-party integrations like libraries, SKD’s, API’s whichever you choose to create your dashboard, ensure to review their integration capabilities
  • Take advantage of interactivity as it would help in simplifying the analytical process and makes the dashboard more user-friendly
  • Make sure the design of the dashboard is compatible with all devices with simple and neat representation
  • Once the dashboard is developed, it must run through all the necessary testing process to ensure all the functionalities are working seamlessly
  • Deploy your dashboard to the production environment, set up a back and monitor the accessibility
  • Ensure that the dashboard always runs on the latest version to make it more secure

Want to know more about building a customized dashboard? Check out this link.

APIs Roles in Modern Dashboard Web Applications

APIs are usually used to minimize the work of developers, as they act as intermediaries between two applications to make them work together. 

Let us see what APIs can do in the development of dashboards

  • Send notifications associated with respective events
  • Helps with integrated analytics, collaboration functionalities and financial key metrics
  • At times, it acts as an adapter by enabling external connection
  • Helps in organizing data from various sources including datasets, rows, and tables
  • It can integrate to your application, allowing you to create test cases and even update the status of the execution run
  • Create personalized TV dashboards
  • Connects web, spreadsheet, Sass data into one dashboard
  • Also helps in consolidating point-in-time events from collaborative work environments
  • Simplifies the process of time series data
  • Dashboard can also be shared and viewed on any browser, TV and mobile devices using a suitable API

WordPress Themes for Developing Customized Dashboards

Let us have a look at some WordPress themes that can be used for developing a dashboard in your business.

Adminify

The tool is multisite support and is available in both dark and light mode. Multiple menu style with horizontal and vertical dashboard menu.

Adminify - WordPress Custom Dashboard Design Example
Source

WPShapere 

The plugin has 16 pre-built templates and a customizable color scheme. Can easily customize the dashboard with your brand, and you have the option to enable/disable the automatic background updates.

WPShapere - WP Dashboard Custom Development Example
Source

Ultimate Dashboard

It is the lightweight and best WordPress theme for the dashboard. With its custom widgets, you can choose the way you want to display data with a better user experience.

Ultimate Dashboard Custom WP Solution
Source

Slate Admin Template

The plugin focuses on content so it’s easy to edit and write on the dashboard. This is considered to be one of the best themes for WordPress dashboard and helps in improving the admin dashboard.

Slate Admin Template - Admin Dashboard Design Example
Source

Laravel Themes for Developing Customized Dashboards

Let us have a look at some Laravel themes that can be used for developing a dashboard in your business.

Volt Laravel Dashboard

In this plugin, the dashboard comes with SaaS files and Gulp commands. It is equipped with all basic functionalities that any admin interface would require.

Volt Laravel Custom Dashboard Web Application Example
Source : themesberg

Argon Laravel Dashboard

It is a clean and modern theme and can help you in developing a full functional web application.

Argon Laravel Custom Dashboard Web Application Example

Laravel Spatie

The tool helps in creating simple and eye-catching dashboards in no time. This comes up with a tile view component, using which you can position the things on the dashboard.

Laravel Spatie - Custom Dashboard Web Application Example
Source: themesberg

Material Laravel Dashboard

The plugin with it’s ready to use components and CURDS, you can implement certain functionalities and develop a user-friendly dashboard.

Material Laravel Web Application Custom Dashboard Design Example

Create Your Dashboard Today

Now you have the basics for creating your dashboard. Represent your data in a simple and engaging way to your decision makers. The dashboard can help you to look into areas of improvements and as well as take steps to improve your campaigns/efforts, if any. Getting to know the results of the efforts you have put in would urge you to do more for the productivity of your business.

Are you confused about deciding the best, suitable platform for your dashboard? A professional web development company can help you with better clarity. This would help to choose right APIs, platform and more for the development of your web application along with a dashboard.

If you are looking for professional assistance, you can contact ColorWhistle by sending us a message or call us at +1 (919) 234-5140, we’ll get back to you at the earliest. We provide services tailored to your requirements that suit your business.

Disclaimer:
All the images and sources we’ve listed in this blog don’t belong to ColorWhistle except for the featured image. We’ve taken these after a complete research on the web (pinterest, google images, dribble, etc.). ColorWhistle doesn’t own any of the above images.

Varsha
About the Author - Varsha

I am a zealous copywriter with an enthusiasm to learn everyday. I am able to diversify my knowledge at CW as I get the opportunity to write for various industries. What I love about writing is the research part when I can explore on the data while googling. I am also experienced in playing with words for the WooCommerce plugins and eCommerce platforms. When am off from writing I love experimenting new dishes and also a booklouse at time.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ready to get started?

Let’s craft your next digital story

Our Expertise Certifications - ColorWhistle
Go to top
Close Popup

Let's Talk

    Sure thing, leave us your details and one of our representatives will be happy to call you back!

    Eg: John Doe

    Eg: United States

    More the details, speeder the process :)