End-to-end design of a data analytics dashboard for a B2B SaaS platform, handling complex multi-dimensional datasets for non-technical users.

The Brief

The platform's existing dashboard had been built by engineers optimizing for completeness — every data point surfaced, every filter exposed. Power users loved it. Everyone else was lost within thirty seconds. The brief was to redesign for the 80% without removing the depth the 20% needed.

Dashboard overview screen showing key metrics and charts

Research

Six weeks of user interviews revealed three distinct user types: executives who needed one number (are we growing?), managers who needed trend context (why are we growing?), and analysts who needed raw access (how exactly are we growing?). The design needed to serve all three without compromising any.

Solution

A layered information architecture: the default view answers the executive question with a single-screen summary. One level down gives managers trend lines and segmentation. A third level opens full data access for analysts.

Each level is visually distinct but uses the same component system — the same chart types, the same color language, the same interaction patterns — so moving between layers feels natural rather than jarring.

Detailed data view showing segmented analytics with filters

Outcome

Onboarding completion increased by 34%. Support tickets related to dashboard confusion dropped by 61% in the first quarter after launch. The analyst tier was used by 23% of users — more than expected, validating the decision to preserve depth.