SynthMock
A dashboard campaign needs a clear question before it needs more charts. This concept uses one selected metric outside and a carefully limited explanation inside, with fictional data identified as demonstration content.
Try it in SynthMock
Start with a Duo scene.
Use a reusable template as your starting point, then apply the choices in this article.
A paid plan is required to use templates and export.
Choose a question the larger view can answer
Use a neutral question such as Where did this week's activity come from? The cover can show a single total and a short period label. The inner layout can explain that total with a trend and a small category breakdown. Keep labels and units consistent; changing the date range during the fold makes comparison ambiguous.
Any numbers in a concept should be clearly fictional. Do not present invented increases as customer outcomes, business performance or evidence that the design works. If adapting the direction to a real product, use approved demo data and preserve the meaning of the actual metrics.
Build a hierarchy before a storyboard
A near-frontal open view is a practical starting point for text and chart labels. Let the device occupy enough of the composition to make the relationship visible; a dramatic narrow perspective can turn the dashboard into decoration.
| Area | Proposed content | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Cover | One metric with period and units | An isolated number without meaning |
| Inner primary | Trend for the same metric and period | Unrelated charts competing for attention |
| Inner secondary | A short category breakdown | A dense table used as background texture |
Make the claim smaller than the evidence
The campaign can promise an overview if the product actually offers one. It should not imply that a larger screen produces better decisions or improved revenue without evidence. A mockup establishes how information is presented, not whether an analytical conclusion is correct.
For a proposed motion treatment, open from the cover summary, settle on the inner overview, then move only enough to give one useful detail room. Reserve fine values for a separate image or the live product. Deliver an overview still with an accurate caption and a detail crop that retains its axis labels. Review the exported files at the size stakeholders will see them, particularly on a narrow screen.
Final pass
Before you call it finished
- Keep periods, units and the selected metric consistent.
- Label all fictional data as demo content.
- Retain labels when creating a chart detail crop.
Make the next version yours.
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