Why Dashboards Don’t Deliver Insights (And What Actually Does)
“We need a dashboard that gives us insights.” Sound familiar? The truth is, dashboards aren’t designed to deliver insights—they’re just the starting point.
In this session, you’ll learn a practical framework using three distinct tools—dashboards, narrative reports, and deep analysis—to actually uncover the why behind the numbers. Walk away with a clear system to turn data into action and finally escape the endless cycle of empty dashboards.
Transforming Data into Meaningful Action
Unlocking the power of data requires more than just dashboards—it demands a system that turns observations into actionable insights.
- Insight Defined An insight is a shift in understanding that reveals critical patterns or anomalies and, when applied in context, drives meaningful change.
- Three-Layer System Dashboards (binoculars) spot trends, narrative reports (magnifying glass) add context, and deep analysis (microscope) delivers recommendations.
- Key Ingredients Patterns, anomalies, and context must intersect for true insights to emerge.
- Actionable Outcomes Prioritization frameworks and closing the loop on business impact ensure insights lead to measurable improvements.
This approach helps users move from static data to dynamic, business-changing decisions—making analytics truly valuable.
Defining True Insights
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Insights are not just data points—they require both a pattern/anomaly and the right context.
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Four key triggers for insights:
- Connections Uncovering relationships between previously unrelated data.
- Contradictions Spotting inconsistencies between expectations and reality.
- Coincidences Identifying unexpected alignments or correlations.
- Curiosities Investigating anomalies that defy expectations.
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Without context, even the most interesting data is just noise.
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Actionable insights drive change and must be measurable to demonstrate value.