Data Visualization vs. Dashboards | Study.com (2024)

Data Visualization is the process of presenting information, in a form that we can see, with the purpose of furthering our understanding of that information. It can be as simple as a 2-dimensional graph, or as complex as a 3-dimensional topology representation of your country. If you think about it, we see examples every day; the share price graph for our favorite stock in the local newspaper, the leader board on the Golf Channel, and the digital eye candy in our favorite Sci-Fi movie. The fact is that Data Visualization is an important part of our lives.

In contrast, a Dashboard is a snapshot of a large set of information. Think of it as a summary. It only displays a small portion of the information, but that portion is representative of the information set as a whole. A prime example is the daily weather report on your local TV station. The screen contains current weather conditions, and the short-term forecast, which is a small portion of the meteorological information collected. Its purpose is to give you an overall impression of the current conditions, without boring you with the minute by minute details.

Data Visualization and a Dashboard are often used in conjunction with each other. If you think back to the weather report on your local TV station, the long-term temperature graph is an example of Data Visualization, and the single screen of the current conditions, is the Dashboard. Both are effective in relaying specific information, and they work well when used together. Another example can be seen on a map. The map itself is an example of Data Visualization, and the legend is an example of a Dashboard. Again, they are a powerful combination.

Data Visualization and a Dashboard are the same in that they both represent information in a visual form. Both strive to provide information quickly and easily, and both look to allow information to be derived from the representation. But how they provide these capabilities is significantly different. Data Visualization typically deals with most, if not all, of the data available. The picture it paints is as accurate as possible. A Dashboard, on the other hand, only deals with a subset of that information. It isn't going for detail, instead it is trying to convey the big picture with as little information as possible.

To recap, Data Visualization is the process of presenting information in a visual form. Its purpose is to promote quick and easy understanding of the information. A Dashboard is a snapshot, or summary, of a large set of information. Data Visualization and a Dashboard are often used together. Data Visualization gives a detailed look at the information as a whole, and a Dashboard provides a summary of the same information.