Diseñar un Dashboard Accesible con Looker Studio

Creating effective dashboards in Looker Studio goes beyond simply displaying data; it's about presenting it in a way that is organized, visually appealing and aligned with brand identity. A well-designed dashboard greatly facilitates decision making, allowing managers and analysts to quickly identify relevant information without getting lost in a sea of disorganized data.

How do you transform a basic dashboard into a professional one with brand identity?

When working with visualization tools such as Looker Studio, it is essential that our dashboards are not only functional but also visually consistent with the company's identity. Branding is not a decorative element, but an integral part of data communication that reinforces the corporate identity while facilitating the interpretation of information.

How to apply brand colors automatically?

Looker Studio offers a very practical functionality to extract and apply brand colors without the need to manually configure them in each visualization:

1. Go to the properties section of the dashboard.
2. Click on "Theme & Layout."
3. Instead of using the default templates, select the option to extract the theme from an image
4. You can either upload the company logo from your computer or enter a URL
5. Looker will offer you three options with different color hierarchies
6. Select the one that best represents your brand colors.

To further customize the theme:

Click "Customize"2.Adjust the colors in the palette according to your preferences3.Make sure the primary color is the most representative of the brand4. Verify that the secondary color contrasts adequately with the primary color.

It is important that the colors are not only faithful to the brand, but that they also facilitate the reading of the data and create an appropriate visual hierarchy.

How to organize the space and size of the visualizations?

The arrangement of elements on the dashboard implicitly communicates their importance. Larger visualizations will be perceived as more relevant by users, so this decision must be strategic:

1. Use the "zoom out" function to get an overview of the composition.
2. Activate the grid from the view menu to facilitate alignment.
3. Adjust visualizations to have consistent heights when appropriate
4. Maintain even spacing with respect to edges

For time trend charts, it is advisable to provide enough width for the X-axis labels to be legible. If you reduce the width too much, dates may overlap or be displayed at different heights, making interpretation difficult.

How to incorporate branding elements in the dashboard background?

To give a professional touch and reinforce the corporate identity:

1. Go to the image menu.
2. Upload a template with the logo and graphic elements of the brand.
3. Adjust the size to match the dashboard dimensions.
4. Use the "Move to background" option in the "Arrange" tab
5. Relocate filters and other elements so that they do not obstruct important elements such as the logo

A simple template created in tools like Canva can completely transform the look of your dashboard, providing a consistent visual framework for your data.

How to adjust text colors to improve readability?

To ensure that texts are easily readable:

1. Go back to "Theme & Design" and select "Customize."
2. Find the options related to text
3. Adjust the color for different types of text (titles, labels, filters, etc.).
4. Black is usually a safe choice for most light backgrounds.

Text readability is crucial to the effectiveness of the dashboard, as even the best analysis loses value if it cannot be read properly.

Why is design important in data visualization?

Design is not simply a matter of aesthetics; it is a fundamental tool for effective communication of information. A well-designed dashboard reduces analysis time and makes it easier to identify patterns and trends that might go unnoticed in a cluttered presentation.

Benefits of a well-designed dashboard:

• Reduces analysis time: important information is easily identifiable.
• Improves comprehension: data is presented in a logical and coherent way
• Reinforces brand identity: maintains visual consistency with other corporate materials
• Increases credibility: a professional look and feel generates greater confidence in the data presented
• Facilitates decision making: clear information leads to quicker and more accurate conclusions

Creating professional dashboards with brand identity does not require advanced design skills, but rather the systematic application of the basic principles we have reviewed. We invite you to put these techniques into practice and share your results in the comments.