Power BI Design Ideas: Best Practices, Examples, and Benefits

Data visualizations include graphs, charts, and dashboards. They make it easier for team leaders, organization leaders, and business people to make data-informed decisions.

Sometimes, visuals are used to communicate certain information to customers and other stakeholders. For example, you could create a graph to show a customer’s purchases over time.

Visuals allow you to see trends, patterns, and performance at a glance. If the visual is well made, you can also see the story that the data is telling.

A lot of factors are considered when choosing the right design to use to present your data. Coming up with Power BI design ideas is not a walk in the park.

You need to think about:

• Your audience: are they executives, teammates, or even customers?
• The type of data that you want to present.
• The insights that you want to highlight.
• The trends and patterns you want to emphasize.
• How interactive do you want the visual to be?

In this article, we explore Power BI design ideas and their benefits. We also look at Power BI design examples and tips for creating the best visualizations.

And penultimately, how to create beautiful design ideas in Power BI for visualization. We’ll conclude by answering some questions that you might have about Power BI designs.

What are Power BI Design Ideas?

In this section, we’ll define Power BI design ideas. These are the design and formatting choices you make when creating a visual on Power BI.

The process involves selecting appropriate colors, fonts, and layouts.

These design ideas can help ensure that Power BI visuals are appealing and easy to understand.

Some examples of Power BI design ideas include:

• Consistent use of colors and fonts to create a cohesive look and feel.
• Using appropriate visualizations. For example, using a bar chart to show a comparison between categories.
• Adding labels and titles to provide context and help users understand what they are looking at.
• Using white space to break up visualizations and make them easier to read.
• Making the visuals interactive, allowing the users to explore the data further.

By using Power BI design ideas, you can ensure that your visualizations are clear, effective, and engaging. This makes it easier for stakeholders to understand and act on the insights presented.

Benefits of Using Power BI design

Using Power BI design can provide several benefits to businesses, including

• Enhanced data visualization

Power BI design helps businesses create visually appealing and easy-to-understand data visualizations. This makes it easier for stakeholders to interpret the data and make informed decisions.

• Improved decision-making

Power BI provides businesses with clear and accurate insights into their data. This helps them make better-informed decisions. This is because they quickly identify trends, patterns, and anomalies in their data.

• Increased productivity

Power BI design allows businesses to create reports and dashboards more quickly and efficiently.

This is because they can use Power BI design templates, themes, and pre-built visualizations. This saves time and ensures consistency across reports and dashboards.

• Customization

With Power BI’s high customization levels, businesses can create visualizations that are tailored to their specific needs.

This allows them to create visuals that are unique to their organization. Businesses can incorporate their brand and messaging in a way that resonates with stakeholders.

• Collaboration

Power BI design facilitates collaboration among teams. Multiple users can work on the same report or dashboard. This makes it easy to share insights and collaborate on data analysis.

With Power BI, businesses can create clear and impactful data visualizations. This improves decision-making, increases productivity, and facilitates collaboration.

Power BI Design Ideas Example

You can use Power BI design templates on the Power BI desktop to create reports. On the Power BI service, you can use template apps as Power BI dashboard design examples.

Template apps contain one or more dashboards and/or reports. You can add them as Power BI visuals from AppSource.

You can use the ChartExpo Sankey Diagram as a Power BI template app for your design ideas.

A Sankey Diagram shows the flow of data from multiple source levels to multiple destination levels. It is also known as a Sankey Chart.

The ChartExpo Power BI Sankey Diagram helps you visualize complex data and relationships among different data points. It can also help you identify inefficiencies in a system. It highlights areas where data flow is bottlenecked or slow.

The ChartExpo Sankey Diagram is highly customizable. You can create a visual that aligns with your brand and presentation style.

There are multiple insights that you can garner from using ChartExpo’s Power BI Sankey Diagram. You can understand customer behavior, for example. You can visualize the flow of customers through your site and see the points at which they drop off.

You can also visualize your company’s sales data. For example, the customer segment that brings in the most revenue.

How to Create Sankey Diagrams with the Power BI Web Service?

We will divide the steps into several stages.

Stage 1: Logging in to Power BI

• Login to Power BI Web Service.
• Enter your email address and click “Submit“.

• You will be redirected to your Microsoft account.
• Enter your password and click “Sign in”.

• You can choose to stay signed in or not.

• You’ll then be redirected to the Power BI home screen.

Stage 2: Select the Data Set to Use in Your Sankey Chart

• Click on the “Data Hub” option on the left-side menu.

• Power BI populates the data sets list. (If you have not created a data set refer to the Error! Reference source not found section)

• Once you choose the data set you want to use to create your Sankey Diagram, Power BI populates the screen as shown below:

• The data set and its fields are shown on the right side. The middle area shows report and data set options.
• Click on the “Create a report” dropdown.

• Select “Start from scratch”.

• You should see the Report Canvas screen as shown below:

Stage 3: Adding the Power BI Sankey Diagram Extension by ChartExpo

• To finish creating our Sankey Diagram, we’ll use an add-in or Power BI visual from AppSource.
• Navigate to the Power BI Visualizations panel. It’s on the right side of your Power BI dashboard.

• Click the ellipsis (…) highlighted above to import the Power BI Sankey Diagram extension by ChartExpo.
• The following menu opens:

• Select the “Get more visuals” option. The following window opens

• Enter “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” in the highlighted search box.
• You should see “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” as shown in the image below:

• Select it. The following window opens:

• Click the highlighted “Add” button. Power BI will add the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” in the visualization panel as shown below.

Stage 4: Drawing a Sankey Diagram with ChartExpo’s Power BI extension

• Select the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” icon in the visualization panel. The following window opens on the report section of your dashboard:

• You can resize the visual as needed.
• Navigate to the right side of your Power BI dashboard. You should see the “Fields” next to “Visualizations”.

• You’ll select the fields to use in your Sankey Chart here. The ChartExpo visual needs to be selected though.

• You’ll be asked for a ChartExpo license key or email address.

Stage 5: Activating your ChartExpo Trial or Applying a Subscription Key

• While the ChartExpo visual is selected, you should see 3 icons below “Build visual” in the Visualizations panel.

• Select the middle icon, “Format your visual”. The visual properties will be populated as shown below.

•  If you are a new user:
  • Enter your email address in the “Email” textbox in the “Trial Mode” section. When you subscribe to the ChartExpo add-in, this is the email address where your ChartExpo License key will be sent.
  • Ensure that your email address is valid.
• Click “Enable Trial” to activate your 7-day trial.

• • You should receive a welcome email from ChartExpo.
  • The Sankey Diagram you create under the 7-day trial contains the ChartExpo watermark.

•  If you have obtained a license key:
  • Enter your license key in the “ChartExpo License Key” textbox in the “License Settings” section.

• • Slide the toggle switch next to “Enable License” to “On”.
• Your Sankey Diagram should now be ready. Note that it does not have a watermark.

Tips for Making the Best Power BI Visualization

What are some tips, techniques, or Power BI design best practices for making the best visualizations?

• Know your audience

Understand who your audience is and what they need to see in the visualization. This will help you choose the appropriate chart type, formatting, and level of detail.

• Keep it simple

Focus on the most important data points and use design elements like color and layout to highlight them.

• Use appropriate visualization types

Choose the right visualization type to represent your data accurately. For example, a bar graph may be more appropriate for comparing data points, while a line graph may be better for showing trends over time.

• Make your visualization interactive

Make your visualization interactive by adding filters or slicers. This allows users to drill down into the data and explore it further.

• Use colors effectively

Use color to draw attention to key data points or trends. But be careful not to overdo it—too many colors can be distracting and confusing.

• Be consistent

Use consistent formatting and labeling across all your visualizations. This makes it easier for users to understand and interpret the data.

• Test and iterate

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different visualization techniques and layouts. Test your visualization with users and make changes based on their feedback.

How to Create Beautiful Design Ideas in Power BI for Visualization?

a.    Figure out your data story. Your visualization needs to tell a story. Just like a good story, your visualization needs to have a specific flow. Utilize hierarchy to structure your visualization and emphasize important data points. This can be achieved through the use of groupings, drill-downs, and visual cues.

b.    Select the visualization type. Choose a visualization type that best represents your data. Bar charts, line charts, and scatter plots are common chart types, but there are many other options.

Use the chart type that best highlights the insights from your data. A Sankey Diagram is ideal, for example, when you want to highlight one thing about your data.

1. Add a title and legend. Add a clear and concise title that summarizes the insights in your visualization. Use a legend to explain the meaning of each color or symbol used in the visualization.
2. Choose an appropriate background and formatting. Use appropriate background and formatting to make your visualization stand out.

Avoid using a busy background that distracts from the data. Use formatting like borders and gridlines to help structure the visualization.

1. Add data labels. Use data labels to show the values of your data points. This makes it easier for your audience to understand your visualization without referring to a legend.
2. Choose a color palette. Choose a color palette that complements your data and your brand. Don’t use more than three to four colors and choose shades that are easy on the eyes.
3. Choose the fonts. Use a clear and legible font for your text. Serif fonts like Times New Roman or Georgia are great for print. Use sans-serif fonts like Arial or Helvetica for digital design.
4. Add images if necessary. Choose appropriate images that complement your data and enhance your visualization. This can include icons, logos, or other graphics. Use icons to convey meaning and add visual interest. Icons can be used to represent categories or to highlight important data points.
5. Pay attention to alignment. Ensure your visualization looks clean and professional. Use gridlines or guides to help align elements, and avoid overlapping or uneven spacing.
6. Add interactivity: Add interactive elements to your visualization, such as filters, slicers, and drill-throughs. This makes your visualization more engaging and allows your users to explore the data further.
7. You can add custom visuals. These add unique and engaging elements to your visualization. Custom visuals can be downloaded from the Microsoft AppSource or created using the Power BI developer tools. A good example is the CharExpo Sankey Diagram for Power BI.
8. Test your visualization. Before you present your visualization to the intended audience, you need to test it. You can ask a colleague to go through it and give their feedback. Is it effective and easy to understand?

Make adjustments based on their feedback to improve the overall design and functionality of your visualization.

Iterate through this process. Eventually, you’ll have a visual that is easy to understand, and that tells the data story effectively.

FAQs:

How do I beautify my Power BI dashboard?

There are several ways you can go about beautifying your Power BI dashboard. You can choose a theme that complements your brand and the data you are displaying.

You can also use background images or colors. Additionally, optimize your dashboard for different devices.

What makes a good Power BI dashboard design?

A good Power BI dashboard design should be easy to use, with a logical flow and clear navigation.

It should also have clear section headings, labels, and descriptions. In addition, display accurate and up-to-date data with automated data refreshes.

Overall, a good Power BI dashboard design should prioritize functionality and user experience to ensure maximum impact and value.

What are the common mistakes while designing Power BI dashboards?

There are common pitfalls when designing Power BI dashboards. They include

• Overloading the dashboard with too much information.
• Using the wrong visuals.
• Inconsistent formatting.
• Not considering the layout.

Wrap Up

We have explored Power BI design ideas. We began by defining Power BI design ideas.

We then discussed the benefits. They include enhanced data visualization, improved decision-making, increased productivity, customization, and collaboration.

We also looked at examples of Power BI design ideas using ChartExpo’s Sankey Diagram.

Next, we dove into some tips for making the best Power BI visualization. The techniques include using the same colors and fonts, making good use of visuals, and creating labels and titles. Using white space and letting people interact with the site is also helpful.

Eventually, we looked at how to create beautiful design ideas in Power BI for visualization. For example, select the visualization type while keeping the story you want to tell in mind. Other ways are via choosing an appropriate background and formatting and adding data labels.

The article concludes with answers to frequently asked questions about Power BI design ideas.