5 Best Practices for IoT Dashboard Design

1. ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH

A thorough review of the procedures, routines, and manuals is required to develop a fully-functional IoT dashboard.
This is the first and foremost step in designing an IoT dashboard.

Let’s understand this entire thing with an industrial IoT example, the automotive industry, which uses IIoT in the manufacturing process.
The above mentioned industry has several activities that employees have to perform in a proper sequence so that nothing stops and everything runs smoothly.

We must understand and gather all the data to draw a rough roadmap of what we have to add to the interface. This way, we can have precise information on the data that should be collected and who, how, and when should access it.

Strangely, at the very first stage of analyzing procedures, we often find that some of them contradict each other. Sometimes there will be no consequences, and sometimes we have to route out the sources of serious daily problems for instrument operators, planners, and industrial workers.

2. A SITDOWN WITH THE SYSTEM SPECIALISTS

The second step is to find out what can be improved in the existing system. This can be done by having a chit-chat with decision-makers. You can ask the operators about the processes, the data, and the preferred way of presenting them.

Take the above automotive industry example. You have to sit down with the people who manage the manufacturing process. You have to interpret the theory in light of the everyday practices of the employees.

In these cases, employee interviews become essential in developing an IoT dashboard because, obviously, the operators will have unique knowledge, and at the end of the day, it’s they who will use the system to train other people to use it.

3. LIST PRIORITIES

If you have followed the above two steps, you will know the procedure, the routines, the employee struggles, and their needs.
Now you can decide what data, where, and how it should be displayed on the dashboard. This is the time to decide on components to be employed in the dashboard, like the status, temperature, camera, visuals, time, and map.

However, remember one thing, you cannot create a universal dashboard for all.
Just take the ongoing example, in the automotive industry, one operator must have two and the other must be using four monitors.
For one, the role is to watch the engine oil temperature, but for the other, it’s to keep an eye on the opening and closing of the valves.
Employee X prefers his dashboard to be clear and simple, but Employee Y loves to have eleven screens beeping and flashing constantly.

For this reason alone, a good panel should have a customization option. That’s why we always develop IoT dashboards with widgets that employees can freely change-stretch, minimize, and move—as per their requirements.

4. CREATE A PROTOTYPE AND ITERATE

The second and final step is to create and test the prototype with the users. For this, we can mix up the already collected data, sketch the panel, and then transform it into a functional MVP.

This is the time to hand over the prototype to the user to get their feedback on it. So that in the next round of development, you can implement the input and offer the upgraded version to the user.

You have to do this again and again until you get the thumbs up.

5. TIME TO BUILD THE ACTUAL APP

The final step is the actual app development.
Build your solution around devices and variables, in addition to dashboards and available alerts.

Nevertheless, pick a distinct piece of hardware to sense information in a specific setting, and contemplate the connection protocol of your choice. You can choose from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Sigfox, LoRa, Ethernet, and more.

WHAT DOES A GOOD IOT DASHBOARD DESIGN DO, ANYWAY?

The above-mentioned steps are like a recipe to create a good IoT dashboard . It can facilitate a user’s work and the company’s internal processes.

We know what you are thinking…
Why hustle over a simple interface, right?
So, let us break this down for you.

With a well-designed IoT dashboard………

• You can foresee the future
• Can get easy access to critical data
• Can draw business conclusions
• Will be less prone to human-made errors
• You can visually preview your devices
• You will have all the data present in real-time
• And you can manage the system faster and…

You will be one step closer to having a digital twin.

A Digital Twin (DT) is a virtual representation of a physical system. With it, you can stimulate all kinds of situations, thus making a planned investment.

However, the research required to create a digital twin depends on the research needed to make a dashboard. So, if you are thinking of starting a digital twin for your system, then you are almost there with a sound IoT dashboard.

HOW WE CREATED AN IOT DASHBOARD FOR AN AGRITECH PROJECT?

We at PsiBorg, designed an IoT Dashboard for an agritech project. In the project, Internet of Things is used to target traditional farming operations to meet increasing demand and decrease production losses.

In this Agritech project, remote sensors were used in combination with analytical tools for monitoring surveying, mapping fields, and monitoring crops. Also to provide data to the field owners for rational agriculture management. This will save both time and money for the farmers.

One of the project elements is an IoT dashboard, which is needed for IoT device management and user management.

Here, we had to design a glossy interactive dashboard. The dashboard should display all the issues related to monitoring soil nutrients and other soil requirements such as NPK value, moisture conductivity, PH, light intensity, and more.

Also Read: Sensors Used in Agriculture