May 30, 2023, marks the first day of Dashboard Week. Kinda exciting, not gonna lie. The topic is to create a dashboard that is accessible to the public, meaning anyone with any issues that prevent them from reading a dashboard will hopefully not face any problems. The dataset we were given is 'Fix my Streets Glasgow,' which is a report on potholes and pavements in the city of Glasgow. The report includes information on each neighborhood or district in the city.
My first step is to design a dashboard that is clearly visible, where users won't have to squint to see what's happening. My next idea is to create two components: a map to pinpoint the potholes and pavements, and a main focus on displaying the information separated by district. This approach ensures that the charts don't become too cluttered.
For the bar chart, I plan to show three things: the count of potholes in each district and how each district ranks relative to others. Additionally, I will add two parameter filters that allow users to view either potholes or pavements in the district. The next part might be the most challenging, which is making the dashboard accessible. To start with, I used https://davidmathlogic.com/colorblind/ to test my colors and ensure there are no issues for colorblind individuals. Once I selected appropriate colors, I focused on how to verbally convey information to those who cannot see.
When testing with the Windows Narrator, I encountered some difficulties in getting it to read certain information. For instance, it does not read charts or text objects. The only elements it reads are titles and parameters. Therefore, I nested all my values in my Key Performance Indicator (KPI) and had Windows Narrator read that. Fortunately, it can read parameters, so that wasn't too much of an issue. Now, all that's left is to run some tests, fine-tune and polish my dashboard, and I'll be done.