Start Building Dashboard with No-code: Step by Step

Now that you’ve settled on no-code for the creation of the dashboard, what comes next? Let’s go through a step-by-step of how you can build a no code dashboard. 

1. Choose a no-code tool for your dashboard

Choosing the no-code tool to build your dashboard can seem like a daunting task. With the right information and a bit of thinking, you’ll be able to find the perfect platform to create your dashboard on. It is, however, important to consider the following:

• Get a clear definition of your dashboard’s goals and objectives so that you can choose the right data sources

• Check that the no code tool integrates with your chosen data source 

• Look at the no code tool’s pricing and make sure it’s appropriate for your budget. Be careful that the features you’re interested in are covered under the relevant pricing plan

• Think about whether the tool makes it easy to collaborate with your team on the design of your dashboard if that’s important to you

• Evaluate how much room for customisation the tool offers on your dashboard

• Check the tool offers plenty of support options in case you get stuck

• Make sure that the no code tool is user-friendly and has a drag and drop interface (that said, most no code tools do have pretty intuitive visual interfaces!).

🔗 We have a full list of every single no-code tool you can browse through if you need some inspo! 

Our preference is Bubble, which we think is the most powerful no-code platform. Check out our Bubble review to find out more. However, it will depend on your preference and the size of your business. SMEs might need different no-code tools to enterprises, for example.

You can ask your Bubble Buddy to help think this through e.g which apps can you integrate. It's a Bubble support chatbot powered by GPT-4 and the Bubble documentation.

 2. Connect your data sources

Your future dashboard will need to be constantly fueled by data in order to run smoothly. Connecting your dashboard’s data sources properly is crucial to its success. 

Depending on the kind of data you’ll be displaying, you might want to connect your dashboard to an external API, a database, a spreadsheet, a Google Doc, and more. It’s all a question of what your chosen no code tool supports.

Most no-code tools will allow you to either upload a file or directly connect to a data source. We would recommend hooking your database to your data source for it to update automatically. However, do bear in mind that some APIs are harder to connect to than others, and may require a few authentication steps.

3. Choose the type of visualisations

Once you’ve connected your data to your dashboard, you’ll be able to start deciding how you want this information to be laid out. This is what is known as creating visualisations. 

There are many different types of visualisations out there, including:

• Bar charts

• Line charts

• Scatter plots

• Pie charts

• Histograms

Some no-code platforms will let you start from pre-built templates, and others will require you to build your visualisations from scratch. It’s a good idea to spend a bit of time thinking about exactly what visualisations fit your project best.

 4. Customise your dashboard

Depending on what no-code tool you’ve chosen, you’ll be able to customise the look of your visualisations to varying degrees – colours, layouts, labels, design. If you want to build more of a project management tool with a dashboard, have a read of our blog here.

💡 Quick tip: make sure your dashboard is pleasing to the eye. You’ll be spending a lot of time every week scrutinising it, so it’s important for it to look appealing!

 5. Preview and Publish

It’s nearly time to publish your dashboard and start making the most of your effectively laid out data. But first, make sure you preview it and check everything looks good. You’ll then be able to make your dashboard private or public. You can share your dashboard with your team with a link, or QR code, depending on your no code tool.

6. Easily tweak your dashboard

It’s generally pretty easy to tweak your dashboard once you’ve created it. That’s what makes no-code a truly robust and agile framework to build dashboards with. You’ll be able to implement changes to your dashboard at any time, again without having to write code or involve developers. Some changes you might want to make after you first publish your dashboard will be:

• Changing its data sources

• Editing how your database looks

• Adding or taking visualisations away

• Changing the privacy settings