peterbamuhigire/meta-dashboard-design

Marketing Dashboard Design Standards

Source: Raaz (c.2023) Web Analytics Blueprint

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Use when

• Sets the standards for designing client-facing marketing dashboards that are readable on mobile, structured around insight rather than data volume, and built with tools accessible in the East African context. Invoke when building a reporting dashboard for a new client, when an existing dashboard needs to be simplified or made more actionable, or when a client reports that they do not use or understand their current reports.
• Use this skill when it is the closest match to the requested deliverable or workflow.

Do not use when

• Do not use this skill for graphic design, video production, software development, or legal advice beyond the repository's stated scope.
• Do not use it when another skill in this repository is clearly more specific to the requested deliverable.

Workflow

1. Collect the required inputs or source material before drafting, unless this skill explicitly generates the intake itself.
2. Follow the section order and decision rules in this SKILL.md; do not skip mandatory steps or required fields.
3. Review the draft against the quality criteria, then deliver the final output in markdown unless the skill specifies another format.

Anti-Patterns

• Do not invent client facts, performance data, budgets, or approvals that were not provided or clearly inferred from evidence.
• Do not skip required inputs, mandatory sections, or quality checks just to make the output shorter.
• Do not drift into out-of-scope work such as code implementation, design production, or unsupported legal conclusions.

Outputs

• A structured audit, report, model, or analytical framework in markdown, with decisions and recommendations tied to evidence.

References

• Use the inline instructions in this skill now. If a references/ directory is added later, treat its files as the deeper source material and keep this SKILL.md execution-focused.

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Required Inputs

Ask for the following before generating any deliverable:

1. Client business name
2. Industry
3. Country / city (defaults to Uganda / East Africa)
4. Primary goal (e.g. demonstrate monthly ROI, track lead volume, monitor brand awareness)
5. Reporting tool in use (Google Looker Studio, Google Sheets, Meta Business Suite, or other)
6. Audience for the dashboard (business owner only; marketing manager; full management team)
7. Reporting cadence (weekly, monthly, quarterly)
8. Platforms and data sources connected (GA4, Search Console, Meta Ads, Google Ads, Sheets, etc.)

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The Design Principle

A dashboard is not a data dump. It is a decision-making tool. Every element on a client dashboard must answer one of three questions:

1. What is happening? (current performance)
2. Why is it happening? (context and diagnosis)
3. What should we do next? (recommendation)

Remove any chart, metric, or table that does not answer one of these three questions.

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Data Storytelling Structure

Every report section must follow the Insight → Context → Recommendation sequence:

• Insight: The single most important thing this data tells us. Example: "Engagement rate dropped 22% in Week 3."
• Context: Why this happened or what it means. Example: "This coincides with the public holiday — reduced posting frequency and lower audience online time."
• Recommendation: The specific action to take. Example: "Maintain 3 posts/week during public holidays; schedule for Thursday–Friday rather than Monday–Tuesday."

Apply this structure to every section of the dashboard narrative — not just the summary.

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Chart Type Selection Guide

| Data type | Correct chart type | Never use | |---|---|---| | Trends over time | Line chart | Pie chart | | Comparisons between channels or campaigns | Horizontal bar chart (many items) or vertical bar (fewer than 6) | 3D charts of any kind | | Proportions of a whole | Donut chart (maximum 5 segments) | Pie chart with more than 5 segments | | User behaviour on a page | Heatmap | Table | | Funnel performance | Funnel chart | Bar chart | | Geographic distribution | Map | Table | | Single key metric vs. target | Scorecard with RAG (Red/Amber/Green) status | Gauge chart |

Default rule: When in doubt, use a line chart for time-series data and a horizontal bar chart for comparisons. These are the two most universally readable chart types across all audience literacy levels.

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Mobile-First Design (Critical for EA)

In Uganda and East Africa, the majority of clients access dashboards on smartphones — not desktop computers. Design every dashboard for mobile first.

Mobile design rules:

• Single-column layout — no side-by-side charts; they become unreadably small on mobile screens
• Font sizes: body text minimum 14px; metric values minimum 18px; headings minimum 22px
• Maximum 6 charts per dashboard view — more than 6 causes scroll fatigue and reduces the likelihood the client reads the full report
• Contrasting colours — ensure chart colours are distinguishable on lower-quality Android screens in bright outdoor light (avoid light grey on white)
• Test before delivering — open the dashboard on an Android mid-range smartphone before sending to the client; do not test on an iPhone or desktop only

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Recommended Tool for EA Clients

Google Looker Studio (free, Google-integrated, mobile-accessible).

Connect directly to: GA4, Google Search Console, Google Ads, and Google Sheets. Sufficient for 90% of EA client reporting needs without paid tool costs. Shareable via a link — no software installation required for the client.

Alternative for non-Google environments: A structured Google Sheets dashboard with conditional formatting for RAG status. Less visual but universally accessible and free.

Avoid recommending paid dashboard tools (Tableau, Power BI, Databox) unless the client has an existing enterprise IT budget and a dedicated analyst.

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Dashboard Structure

Build every client dashboard in this order:

1. Summary Scorecard (top section) Display 4–6 key metrics for this period vs. the previous period. Apply traffic-light (RAG) status to each:

• Green: at or above target
• Amber: within 10% below target
• Red: more than 10% below target

Include: metric name, current value, previous period value, percentage change, RAG status.

2. Trend Charts (middle section) Two or three line charts showing weekly performance over the past 12 weeks. Suggested metrics: total reach or sessions; engagement rate or goal completion rate; lead volume or revenue.

3. Channel Breakdown (middle section) One horizontal bar chart comparing performance by traffic source or platform. This answers: "Which channel is working hardest this month?"

4. Key Insight and Recommendation (bottom section) Two sentences written in plain language:

• Sentence 1: What the data shows this month in summary.
• Sentence 2: The single most important action to take next month.

This section is the most important — it is the section the client is most likely to read. Write it last, after reviewing all the data.

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What to Exclude

Remove the following from all client dashboards unless specifically requested:

• Raw impression counts without engagement context
• Follower count without growth rate context
• Data the client has never asked about or acted on
• Metrics that cannot be influenced by the actions available to the client
• Technical metrics (bounce rate, pages/session) without plain-language explanation

The less-is-more principle: A dashboard with 6 clear metrics the client understands and acts on is worth more than a dashboard with 40 metrics the client ignores.

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Vanity Metric Flag

Flag any of the following if they appear as primary metrics in a client dashboard — they are vanity metrics that can mislead without context:

• Total impressions (without reach or frequency)
• Total followers (without engagement rate)
• Total post count (without performance per post)
• Total clicks (without conversion rate)
• Total video views (without watch time or completion rate)

Vanity metrics are acceptable as secondary data in a supporting table. They must never appear as headline scorecard metrics.

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Quality Criteria

Output meets the standard for this skill if:

• Every dashboard section follows the Insight → Context → Recommendation structure
• Chart types match the data storytelling purpose — no pie charts for trend data, no tables for geographic data
• The dashboard passes a mobile-first test: single-column layout, minimum font sizes observed, maximum 6 charts
• The summary scorecard uses RAG (Red/Amber/Green) status for each metric against a defined target
• Google Looker Studio is recommended as the default tool for EA clients, with rationale
• Vanity metrics are either excluded or demoted to secondary data with plain-language context
• The Key Insight and Recommendation section is written in plain language — no jargon, no analytics terminology without explanation
• Language is British English throughout; imperative in all instructional sections