The future of business intelligence isn't about giving everyone access to everything. It's about giving the right people access to the right insights at the right moment to make the right decision.

Most dashboards are the junk food of business intelligence.

They look satisfying at first glance: colorful charts, impressive metrics, the comforting glow of "being data-driven." But like a bag of chips, they give you a temporary sense of being informed while leaving you just as hungry for real insights as when you started.

Worse, they're addictive. The more dashboards your organization consumes, the more you crave. Teams keep building new ones, adding more charts, more metrics, more visual complexity until you're bloated with beautiful reports that nobody actually uses to make decisions.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: most dashboards are hurting us more than helping us. They create the illusion of understanding while burying the insights that actually matter. They make us feel productive while keeping us perpetually confused about what to do next.

Recently, I redesigned a real dashboard for a client success team. What began as a well-intentioned but nutritionally empty reporting tool became a focused, actionable dashboard that leadership could actually digest and act upon. In this article, I'll walk you through the transformation and show you how to turn your junk food dashboards into something that actually nourishes decision-making.

The Problem - Why Dashboard Junk Food Is Everywhere

Here's the original dashboard:

At first glance, it looks substantial with charts, metrics, even color-coding. But like junk food, it's all empty calories:

We've confused data visualization with insight visualization. Pretty charts don't equal clear thinking.

• No nutritional value. What's the purpose of this dashboard? What question does it answer? What decision does it enable?
• Data without insight. Raw metrics are presented like ingredients on a nutrition label. They are technically informative but useless for actually nourishing your understanding.
• Focus on quantity over quality. Activities and statuses are listed without connecting to what actually feeds business success.
• No "so what" factor. What's working? What needs attention? What should you do after consuming this information?

This isn't just poor data presentation. It's a dashboard that fills you up without feeding you and leaves you more confused and less capable of taking action than when you started.

Why Data Presentation Isn’t Enough

Think of the difference between a vending machine and a carefully prepared meal. A vending machine offers convenient access to lots of options, but none of them provide real sustenance. Most dashboards are organizational vending machines, they give you quick access to data, but they don't nourish understanding or enable action.

Good dashboards, like good meals, are intentionally crafted to serve a specific purpose. They don't just display data they:

• Answer a specific business question
• Frame information in the right context
• Highlight what matters most
• Guide decisions and next actions

Your BI tool can generate a thousand charts. But can it tell you the one thing you need to do on Monday morning? That's the only dashboard feature that matters.

Whether you're building for ongoing monitoring or strategic storytelling, the goal remains the same: help your audience understand what's happening and know what to do about it.

The Redesign -  From Data to Insights

Here's the redesigned version:

What changed? Everything. Instead of a data buffet, we created a focused meal plan.

1. Start with Context and Insight

Instead of a generic title, the dashboard opens with a clear summary:

Retention Plateaued in Q2: Engagement Decline Likely Contributing
Immediate Action: Re-engage Low-Activity Clients

In the first five seconds, leadership knows what's happening, why it matters, and what they should focus on. No hunting through charts to figure out the story.

2. Focus on Outcome-Relevant Metrics

Rather than tracking every possible activity, the dashboard focuses on what actually drives business success:

• Client retention (the key outcome)
• Client satisfaction
• AUM growth
• Client engagement trends

Each metric ties directly to business goals, no empty calories here.

3. Visuals That Guide, Not Just Display

• A clear trend chart shows exactly when retention gains plateaued
• Engagement trends are color-coded to highlight the decline
• Metrics are framed with headlines and interpretation, not left for the viewer to decipher

The visuals don't just show data; they tell the story of what's happening and why it matters.

4. Highlight Actions and Recommendations

• A dedicated "Immediate Actions" section outlines specific next steps
• Recommendations are concrete and actionable (target 400+ clients, resume webinars, adjust advisor allocation)

This transforms the dashboard from a status report into a decision tool that actually guides action.

Best Practices - How to Create Nutritious Dashboards

Based on this transformation, here are principles that will help you avoid junk food dashboards:

Reduce Cognitive Load Stop overwhelming people with information. Only show what's relevant, eliminate visual clutter, and prioritize simplicity. Your audience's attention is precious so don't waste it on decorative charts.

Enhance Clarity and Comprehension
Focus on insights, not raw data. Use effective titles and annotations that explain what you're seeing. Highlight what matters visually so people don't have to hunt for the important stuff.

Drive Interpretation and Action Show trends over time, not just snapshots. Connect your data to recommended actions. Prioritize metrics that tie to outcomes, not just activities. Always answer: "What should we do next?"

When to Use Dashboards vs. Slides

If your goal is real-time monitoring or ongoing reporting, well-designed dashboards work best. They provide consistent access to the information people need to make day-to-day decisions.

But if your goal is strategic storytelling, executive buy-in, or stakeholder alignment, consider presenting your insights as a slide-based narrative instead. Slides let you control pacing, build arguments progressively, and emphasize the human impact of your data.

The dashboard I redesigned works great for ongoing monitoring. But when I needed to present the client success strategy to leadership, I used a slide deck to tell the story more persuasively.

Before-and-After: The Takeaway

Side by side, the difference is clear:

Final Thought - Good Dashboards Nourish Decision-Making

Dashboards aren't about showing data. They're about showing people what matters, why it matters, and what to do next.

Whether you're reporting operational metrics or crafting a persuasive story, remember that your audience is hungry for understanding, not information. Feed them insights, not empty calories.

Stop building vending machines. Start preparing meals.

That's how you transform a dashboard from a data dump to a decision driver.