PowerBI
Having a style guide makes it easier for PowerBI developers to create cohesive apps and enhances the end-user experience
This guideline is specifically for AEMO public-facing reports and dashboards that embedded into aemo.com.au.
Designing impactful Power BI reports or dashboards can be challenging, so it's important to involve a UX designer from the Digital Delivery Centre as early phase as possible!
Styleguide
Font
Use Arial font for headings, labels and body text in PowerBI Reports and Dashboards.
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Avoid using multiple or exaggerated font styles – stick to one font throughout all reports.
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Avoid unnecessary text formatting (bold, underline, large font sizes, etc.) as this can increase the noise in the report and the time it takes to extract insights.
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For numbers, use thousand separators (such as 10, 000) or use a compact form of the number (such as 1M for 1 million or 100k for 100 thousand) to improve readability.
Colors
Please find out data visualization colors in general guidelines.
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Color should be used consistently across fields or categories so that the color itself carries meaning (create a legend that the user can refer to – the information overlay that we will discuss later on in this article is an excellent use for this).
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Avoid overusing color – having too many colors across every aspect of the report can make it confusing and the user will not know where to focus their attention.
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Avoid any bold or bright background colors as this makes the report hard to read and is not practical if the user would like to print a PDF version of the report.
Design Principles
Follow general principles, on top of those then apply following:
- Add clear headings and labels: Using clear headings and labels helps to add clarity and context to the information you've provided. This principle will also give your audience the ability to extract valuable insights at a glance, eliminating any confusion.
- Group related elements: Grouping related information together not only positions the content more logically but makes it easier for the users to find.
- Using position and size emphasizes what is the most important information: This creates a hierarchy that makes it easy for the audience to scan and take away the main points.
Layouts
A well-designed report considers the narrative of the information on the page, from most important to least, in a hierarchical layout, both on a page and between the pages. This hierarchy forms the fundamentals of the report layout. There are four basic layouts are provided, choose the one works for your project context.
Information Architecture
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Headings and labels: Utilise explicit headings and labels to enhance clarity and context within your content. This enables the end users to quickly grasp valuable insights and minimise confusion. Employ headings to categorise similar metrics and keep labels concise to prevent cluttering the dashboard. Abbreviations and symbols can aid in this endeavour.
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Position and Size: Utilise positioning and sizing to highlight critical information in the dashboard, establishing a clear hierarchy for easy scanning. Maintain consistency in element sizing to ensure a smooth flow throughout the dashboard. Optimal placement for key metrics is the top-left corner, as it's the focal point for users. Therefore, prioritise placing important metrics in this area to maximise visibility.
Overarching view
Once the PowerBI report is embedded into aemo.com.au, it should provide a familiar experience for users. This means that the report should blend seamlessly with the website's design style, ensuring that users can navigate between the website and the report without any interruptions or confusion.
Samples
Here are couple samples of how the PowerBI reports can be seamlessly integrated into aemo.com.au. By following these guidelines, the PowerBI report can be seamlessly integrated into aemo.com.au, providing users with a seamless and cohesive experience across the website and the report.