Dashboard Spy readers know that I am a nut for user interface design methodologies and best practices. Thanks to the efforts of a user experience designer at Microsoft, we have an insider’s look at the process used at Microsoft to design the look and feel of the graphs and charts of Excel 2007. Read the Excel 2007 Chart Design post at the Dashboard Spy for full details, but here is a quick screenshot of some of the designer’s output.

The image below shows his hand-drawn paper renditions of some excel charts and graphs.  They basically wireframe out the flow of choosing chart types and configuring their options. User interface designers often start with paper sketches before they move to a higher fidelity verison. It’s just easier and faster than changing the software based versions.

When you read the post, you’ll find a link to the microsoft designer’s original post. The designer explains the microsoft design process. It’s great for dashboard design as well.

There are many more images to study over at that Dashboard Spy post, so be sure to check it out.

Tags: Enterprise Dashboard Design Process, Excel 2007 Dashboard Design, Excel Charts and Graph Design