Did you know there are many "laws" that designers should consider before they design a dashboard? In this link here, they review these various laws or rules. I will review a couple and summarize them with my own interpretation.
Stiliyan Dmitrov suggested this tech tip, thank you Stiliyan!
Hicks's Law
I recently discovered Hick's law myself. This law means the more complex a dashboard, menu, or graphic is, the longer it will the user to make a decision. Consider this when you are putting various visualizations on a dashboard.
Doherty Threshold
Your dashboards will be the most productive if they have a load time less than 400ms. Keep this in mind when you bring in large datasets. Can you use an ETL tool and take the calculation out of the dashboard? Your clients will not be happy if you have long load times when going through a workbook on a server.
Fitt's Law
Target's or Buttons that users need to touch (or interact with) need to be size they can adequately interact with. If a button is too small, it will take your user forever to try to use it. I have experienced this with trying to close the X on a pop-up ad on my phone.
Tesler's Law
All processes have some aspect of complexity that cannot be reduced. The way your users use and interact with your dashboard is more important than the dashboard itself. Try to remove the complex headaches from your dashboards before you send it to your clients. Here's an example: You have five filters on your dashboard, instead of having an apply button for each, why not create one apply button for all?
Postel's Law
This is also known as the Law of Robustness. You should be flexible about any actions a user may take with your dashboard. The more information you can receive during requirements, the more this will help with your design.
Parkinson's Law
Try to finish a task in less time than is expected. Aren't your clients happy when you finish a dashboard earlier than expected? In the auto / service industry sometimes repair time is overestimated. It is also important to plan for any unforeseen events that could delay your development.
Peak-End Rule
People remember their experiences based on the peak and the end of the journey. They will remember a negative experience more than a positive one. When demonstrating your finished dashboard, identify how it's helpful or valuable.
Hopefully some of these rules will help you with your dashboard development!