Lessons from Building Dashboards No One Used — And What I’d Do Differently
What’s this about?
You’ve built a dashboard. It’s clean, insightful, and technically secure. You’ve presented it in meetings. Shared the link. Maybe even color-coded it for different stakeholders.
And yet — no one opens it.
We keep reading posts about how to build effective dashboards. But very few talk about the uncomfortable truth: what happens when they’re not used?
In my experience, dashboard adoption isn’t just a technical challenge. It’s emotional. It’s organizational. And, often, it’s deeply human. This is a short reflection on what I’ve learned — and unlearned — while building dashboards that were nice to look at, technically solid, and… quietly ignored.
What I’ve learned is this: Dashboards aren’t just tools. They’re shaped by the culture they’re part of. And if that culture isn’t ready, even the best dashboards won’t get opened. That’s why the real work lies in three places:
- Data culture is emotional culture If there’s no trust in the data or the people behind it, none of that matters.
- Data work is change management To build adoption, we need to support people through change.
- Dashboards are products — not just tools They have users, and those users have needs, preferences, and pain points.
Who am I?
I started in HR — business partnering, talent management, and organizational development. I later pursued a Master’s in Data Analytics and Business Economics to explore how data could support better decision-making.
For the past few years, I’ve been working as the data enabler: building dashboards, owning the ETL pipelines behind them, and working with departments to understand what they actually need. This post based on my personal experience. It’s based on dashboards I’ve built that didn’t land and why I think that happened.
Who are you?
You might be someone who works with data. Maybe you build dashboards. Or maybe you sit in meetings wondering why no one uses the tools that already exist. You believe in data. You want it to support decision-making. But you also know that something isn’t clicking. Then this is for you.
1. Data Culture Is Emotional Culture
Trust first, metrics second.
We love to talk about dashboards as tools for alignment, insight, and efficiency. But here’s the thing: if there’s no trust in the data or the people behind it, none of that matters.
Stakeholders don’t ignore dashboards because they hate data. They ignore them because they may have been burnt before — by outdated numbers, black-box metrics, missing data, wrong data, or tools that don’t speak their language.
Trust-building isn’t a soft skill. It’s the real work.
It’s not about delivering a “perfect” dashboard — it’s about creating something people feel safe using. That means:
- Start small, iterate often
Don’t build the whole thing behind closed doors. Share early drafts. Ask for feedback. Let people shape the outcome. One way could be to focus on one metric/chart at a time, and make sure that the stakeholder/reader/person fully understands what they’re looking at. Iterate on it until they’re happy with it. - Communicate beyond definitions
It’s not just about “what does this KPI mean?” — it’s “What does this metric tell us, what is it trying to measure and why should we care?” Try to explain the nuances in how to interpret it and what “good” and “bad” values are. - Pay attention to reactions
If someone hesitates or seems skeptical, ask why. Mistrust often comes from past experiences, not the current dashboard. - Create space for honest feedback
Let people voice doubts. Don’t defend — listen and act on the feedback. If someone says, “I don’t trust this number,” treat that as valuable input, not resistance.
2. Data Work Is Change Management
“We’ve always done it this way” isn’t just a sentence you hear and get irritated by — it’s identity.
When you introduce a dashboard, you’re not just adding a tool. You’re challenging a workflow, a mindset, sometimes even someone’s authority or role.
People resist change not because they’re irrational, but because change is emotional. It threatens routines. It questions decisions. It exposes gaps.
The dashboard might be logical — but that doesn’t make it comfortable.
To build adoption, we need to support people through change. That means:
- Understanding resistance as information, not as failure.
- Working cross-functionally — not just delivering, but embedding.
- People need time to let go of old habits and feel confident using something new — even if that means moving slower at first.
3. Dashboards Are Products. Start Treating Them Like It.
If this were an external product — and no one was using it — we wouldn’t blame the users. We’d revisit the design.
Dashboards are no different. They’re internal products. They have users, and those users have needs, preferences, and pain points.
When a dashboard isn’t being used, it’s not an insult. It’s feedback.
That means we need to:
- Understand the decision moments — what actually needs to be visible?
- Simplify where possible — no one wants 17 KPIs before 9 a.m.
- Dashboards lose relevance over time. If no one is using one, or if its insights are outdated or redundant — it’s okay to retire it. A cluttered dashboard creates confusion, not clarity. Less can be more.
- Reframe our role — from builders to product owners.
In Conclusion
A dashboard is only as valuable as the decisions it informs. If no one opens it, the work isn’t done — it’s just begun.
At the core, dashboards often go unused for three simple, but often overlooked, reasons: data culture is emotional culture, which means trust has to come first; data work is change management, and adoption only works when we support people through that change; and dashboards are products — they need care, iteration, and a clear purpose to stay relevant.
And that’s not a data problem. That’s a people problem.
And people-problems are the hardest — and most meaningful in my opinion — ones to solve.
What Inspired This
This post was shaped by a mix of my personal experience and writing from others who’ve reflected on the deeper cultural layers of working with data. If you’re interested in the emotional and organizational challenges around dashboards, data culture, and decision-making — these are well worth reading:
- This Dashboard Could’ve Been a Spreadsheet
Author: Elena Dyachkova
A sharp, emotional reflection on how misused dashboards can actually block better decisions. Honest and a little bit haunting. - Tackling Data’s Biggest Culture Problem
Author: Chad Sanderson
Explores how cultural gaps — not tools — are often the biggest blockers in becoming data-driven. - Unlocking Business Value and Proving Impact
Author: Robert Sahlin
A structured and strategic take on aligning data work with business outcomes. - Creating Trustworthy and Reliable Data
Author: Hugo Hjerten
A great guide on building credibility in your data stack — and how that translates to trust. - Data-First Culture: 20 Top Challenges and Expert Solutions
Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
A broader industry view of the cultural friction points companies face when embedding data in decision-making. - Strategies for reducing resistance and encouraging adoption
Author: Mirko Peters
Insightful framing of adoption as a change management process. - Dashboards as products consideration to improve dashboard adoption and benefitsAuthor: Alexander Mendoza
Helps shift your mindset from building tools to creating usable products. - Driving Adoption Through Design: Five Tips for Building User-Centric Dashboards
Author: Sam Jansen
Tactical and practical — great for BI professionals looking to improve engagement. - Change Your Approach to Dashboard Adoption: 4 Tips
Author: Catherine Augustyn
Quick and effective reminders that dashboard success starts with people, not pixels.
