問題 (The Problem)

Anybody dealing with tech products and data-focused services runs into the same fundamental problem: what you do is technical but non-technical people control the budget. In other words:

任何處理高科技產品和以數據為中心的服務的人都會遇到相同的基本問題：您要做的是技術但非技術人員控制預算。 換一種說法：

This is an incredibly tough hurdle to clear. I’ve seen so many people try to dumb down their tech, focus on features, etc. But we all know that painfully overused sales lesson “Sell benefits, not features”

這是一個難以克服的難題。 我見過很多人試圖愚弄自己的技術，專注于功能等等。但是我們都知道，痛苦的過度使用銷售課程“出售收益，而不是功能”

I’m going to explain how visualizations are the rocket fuel you need to leverage that concept.

我將解釋可視化是如何利用這一概念的火箭燃料。

Let’s start with the old way:

讓我們從舊方法開始：

Lead with the technology, focus on all the features and hope that people understand why it’s valuable.

引領技術，專注于所有功能，并希望人們理解它為什么有價值。

We know that approach doesn’t work. So I’m giving you an incredibly simple alternative:

我們知道這種方法行不通。 所以我給你一個非常簡單的選擇：

Build visualizations that tell a story. Let that story sell for you.

建立講述故事的可視化。 讓那個故事賣給你。

In other words: Make big beautiful dashboards!

換句話說：制作漂亮的大型儀表板！

Up until about 5 years ago, building a dashboard was an extremely complex process with multi-year timelines and huge budgets. Now you can spin one up in less than an hour using dozens of off-the-shelf tools. It’s easier than ever and can be applied to virtually any type of data.

直到大約5年前，建立儀表板是一個非常復雜的過程，需要多年的時間和龐大的預算。 現在，您可以使用數十種現成的工具在不到一個小時的時間內旋轉一個。 它比以往任何時候都更容易，幾乎可以應用于任何類型的數據。

I’ve been in the dashboard game for years. I’ve used them in sales roles, design roles, product roles, and as an independent consultant. They are almost entirely responsible for me closing deals with Google, Apple, Lego, Microsoft, Gatorade, Nectar, Emergent Health and many others.

我從事儀表盤游戲已有多年了。 我曾在銷售角色，設計角色，產品角色以及作為獨立顧問中使用過它們。 他們幾乎完全負責我與Google，Apple，Lego，Microsoft，Gatorade，Nectar，Emergent Health等許多公司達成交易。

那么，儀表板為何如此出色？ (So why do dashboards work so well?)

The short version is that they force us to paint a picture of how our product/service will be used in the real world.

簡短的版本是它們迫使我們描繪出我們的產品/服務將如何在現實世界中使用。

But it goes even deeper. I believe dashboards play into an archetypical fantasy we all share about running a business that leverages data and technology.

但它甚至更深。 我相信儀表板會成為我們所有人共享的關于利用數據和技術開展業務的原型幻想。

I call this the data-driven fantasy.

我稱之為數據驅動的幻想。

數據驅動的幻想 (Data-Driven Fantasy)

What do you see in your head when you think about a company being data driven? How about a company leveraging technology to improve their operations?

當您想到一家公司由數據驅動時，您的想法會如何？ 一家公司如何利用技術來改善運營呢？

A lot of people imagine something like a command center:

許多人都想像一個命令中心：

Big screens, lots of charts, data streaming by and little dots showing up on big maps of the world.

大屏幕，大量圖表，數據流以及在世界大地圖上顯示的小點。

For whatever reason this idea sells really well. So take advantage of it. The easiest way is to include a mockup of your product/service that matches with this archetype. A dashboard is the best way to do that.

無論出于什么原因，這個想法都賣得很好。 因此，利用它。 最簡單的方法是包括與此原型匹配的產品/服務模型。 儀表板是執行此操作的最佳方法。

The secondary benefit is that it gives you a chance to leverage good visual design. Good visual design projects credibility. See the example below:

第二個好處是，它使您有機會利用良好的視覺設計。 良好的視覺設計項目信譽。 請參閱以下示例：

Pretty cool right? Well this is just a random collection of charts and metrics from one of my template kits. It’s far from being actionable but people rarely notice that because it’s so darn visually pleasing.

很酷吧？ 好吧，這只是我的一個模板工具包中的圖表和指標的隨機集合。 它遠非可行，但人們很少注意到這一點，因為它在視覺上是如此討人喜歡。

入門 (Getting started)

There are countless systems out there to help you build a dashboard with virtually any type of data. Many of them are incredibly easy to use (even if you’re a total novice) and either free or extremely low price.

那里有無數的系統可以幫助您使用幾乎任何類型的數據構建儀表板。 他們中的許多人都非常易于使用(即使您是新手也是如此)，而且價格免費或極低。

Once you’ve chosen a system to use, you need to decide what to include. Here’s a quick rundown of my thought process when putting together a dashboard for a new client:

選擇要使用的系統后，需要確定要包括的內容。 當為新客戶組合儀表板時，這是我的思考過程的簡要概述：

1. Dashboards are the shiny object

   儀表板是有光澤的對象

   We’re looking for the easiest and cheapest way to get a visualization into your sales cycle. It doesn’t need to replace your product. It doesn’t need to be super actionable. If done right, it should barely expand the scope of your project at all. It is simply the shiny object to get the client’s attention and close a deal.

   我們正在尋找最簡單，最便宜的方法來可視化銷售周期。 無需更換產品。 它不需要超級可行。 如果做對了，它幾乎根本不會擴展項目的范圍。 僅僅是吸引客戶注意力并達成交易的閃亮對象。

2. Who are the stakeholdersFirst figure out who is actually going to be using what you sell.

   誰是利益相關者 首先弄清楚誰將真正使用您的銷售產品。

   Who are the stakeholdersFirst figure out who is actually going to be using what you sell. Second figure out who is paying for whatever your selling.

   誰是利益相關者 首先弄清楚誰將真正使用您的銷售產品。 第二，弄清楚誰為您的銷售支付費用。

   They’re not always the same person.

   他們并不總是同一個人。

   For both of these people, figure out what need you’re addressing. Use this as your guide for whatever you include in your dashboard.

   對于這兩個人，找出您要解決的需求。 使用此指南作為儀表板中包含的內容的指南。

3. Don’t just focus on the business need, focus on the personEveryone I’ve ever presented to wanted three things

   不要只關注業務需求，而是關注這個人我曾經介紹過的每個人都想要三件事

   ?

   ?

   To save time and skip the tedium: Does your dashboard make their life easier?

   為了節省時間而跳過繁瑣的工作 ：您的儀表板會讓他們的生活更輕松嗎？

   ?T

   ?T

   o save or make more money: Does your dashboard get them a raise or increase their personal commissions?

   o節省或賺更多的錢 ：您的信息中心會增加他們的傭金還是增加他們的個人傭金？

   ?

   ?

   To build their career: Will your dashboard get them promoted or build their personal brand?

   建立自己的職業生涯 ：您的儀表板會讓他們晉升還是建立自己的個人品牌？

4. Keep it simple. Set internal and external expectationsAt this stage the goal isn’t building a final set of perfect fully validated dashboards. It’s to aid in the process of closing a deal.

   把事情簡單化。 設定內部和外部期望在此階段，目標不是建立最終的，經過完全驗證的完美儀表板。 這有助于完成交易。

   ?We are illustrating possibilities

   ?我們正在說明可能性

   ?An imperfect dashboard mockup is better than showing no visual examples.

   ?不完美的儀表板模型比不顯示可視示例更好。

   ?If you don’t have data access yet or don’t know where to start then just grab a template for a common data source you know you can access (e.g. social or google ads). Swap out your brand colors and add your logo. Show where you could include your new data side by side. Think

   ?如果您還沒有數據訪問權限或不知道從哪里開始，那么只需獲取一個您知道可以訪問的通用數據源的模板(例如社交或Google廣告)即可。 交換您的品牌顏色并添加徽標。 顯示可以在何處并排包含新數據。 認為

   wireframes not final deliverables.

   線框不是最終的交付物 。

5. Don’t sweat the KPIs… yet

   不要汗水關鍵績效指標...

   ?In the spirit of illustrating possibilities, don’t worry about having the perfect KPI at this stage.

   ?本著說明可能性的精神，在此階段不必擔心擁有完美的KPI。

   ?If you’ve set expectations properly, your audience is going to understand that any data included in your project is a placeholder.

   ?如果您已經正確設定了期望，那么您的聽眾將會理解項目中包含的任何數據都是占位符。

   ?If you have a KPI you know will close a deal then manually pull it for now. Put that value in a spreadsheet. Every major visualization tool can use a spreadsheet as a data source. Figure out how to automate later.

   ?如果您有一個KPI，您知道將完成一筆交易，然后暫時手動拉出它。 將該值放在電子表格中。 每個主要的可視化工具都可以使用電子表格作為數據源。 找出以后如何自動化。

6. Set up your stakeholders for success

   建立您的利益相關者以取得成功

   ?Give them everything they need to sell the project internally to other teams or to their leadership.

   ?向他們提供將項目內部出售給其他團隊或領導所需的一切。

   ?That means great screenshots, powerpoint slides and anything else they need.

   ?這意味著出色的屏幕截圖，PowerPoint幻燈片以及其他所需的內容。

7. Prioritize design — wow factor matters

   優先設計-哇因素很重要

   ?This can be a struggle for those of us that have fought hard to help businesses make better decisions with their data — we know it’s all about choosing the right data and presenting it in a responsible way. Frills and vanity metrics can be dangerous…but right now we need immediate impact and are focused on perceptions. Save the nuance until after you’ve closed a deal.

   ?對于我們中那些努力幫助企業利用其數據做出更好決策的人而言，這可能是一場斗爭。我們知道，這全都在于選擇正確的數據并以負責任的方式進行展示。 多余的裝飾和虛榮度指標可能很危險……但是現在，我們需要立即產生影響，并專注于感知。 保存細微差別，直到達成交易為止。

   ?Spend the money to hire a designer. Use freelancers if you need to. Have a professional polish your look & feel.

   ?花錢雇用設計師。 如果需要，請使用自由職業者。 有專業的拋光您的外觀和感覺。

That’s it! If you have any questions or want to discuss how to handle your own project feel free to contact me: cottrell (@) hey.com

而已！ 如果您有任何疑問或想討論如何處理自己的項目，請隨時與我聯系： cottrell(@)hey.com

I love hearing from folks in the community and am always happy to point people in the right direction.

我喜歡社區中的人們，并且總是樂意為人們指明正確的方向。

If you got some value from this article you can support my work by checking out my Excel templates: https://exceldashboardtemplate.com/

如果您從本文中獲得了一些價值，可以通過簽出我的Excel模板來支持我的工作： https : //exceldashboardtemplate.com/

Or you can use my affiliate link for Supermetrics — a great tool for connecting Data to Google Sheets, Excel or Data Studio: https://supermetrics.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=2487&url=267

或者，您可以將我的會員鏈接用于Supermetrics-一種將數據連接到Google Sheets，Excel或Data Studio的好工具： https ://supermetrics.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=2487&url=267