Top Tips from Experts on Building Effective Dashboards

In this week's episode of the "Keys to AWS Optimization" show, hosts Stephanie Gooch (Senior Optimization Solutions Architect Advocate) and expert guests Alee Whitman, Yuriy Prykhodko, and Alex Head share valuable insights on creating well-structured, engaging dashboards to unlock your AWS spend. As cost and dashboards go hand-in-hand these days, the team provided practical dos and don'ts to help you build dashboards that solve real business problems.

Key Takeaways:

1. Understand Your Data: Conduct a data inventory, map it to your business processes, and validate the accuracy and completeness of the data before building dashboards.

2. Keep it Simple: Don't overcomplicate your dashboards by including every data point. Focus on the story you want to tell and the actions you want to prompt.

3. Make it Accessible: Ensure your dashboards are easy to access and interact with, considering user roles, permissions, and customization options.

4. Discover Existing Resources: Leverage pre-built dashboards like the Cloud Intelligence Dashboards (CIDs) and build upon them rather than reinventing the wheel.

5. Communicate and Collaborate: Use dashboards as conversation starters, not substitutes for communication. Involve your team in the dashboard development process and get their feedback.

6. Maintain Data Trust: Thoroughly validate your data before sharing dashboards to avoid losing trust with your audience.

7. Iterate and Evolve: Don't be afraid to experiment and make incremental improvements to your dashboards as your business needs change.

Notable Quotes:
- "Every visual on a dashboard should have a 'so what?' Why is this important?" - Alee Whitman
- "Don't assume that you need to reinvent the wheel, right? You evolve and evolve and evolve." - Alex Head

Call to Action:
If you missed this week's live stream, be sure to check out the on-demand recording on the AWS Cost Optimization Community YouTube channel. Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on unlocking your AWS spend through the "Keys to AWS Optimization" show.