storytelling with data podcast storytelling with data podcast: #92 Why Dashboards Die—and How to Save Them With Allison Horst
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Oct 3, 2025 Allison Horst, a developer advocate at Observable and expert in data visualization with a background in environmental science, joins to talk about the lifespan of dashboards. She discusses why many dashboards fail to engage users, emphasizing the power of co-creation and early feedback. The conversation highlights the importance of balancing clarity with technical correctness and adapting dashboards to audience needs. Allison also shares insights on avoiding dashboard fatigue and encouraging continuous collaboration to foster a culture of data literacy.
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Executive Sponsors Changed Everything
- Simon recounts rebuilding a reporting platform that initially angered the business until executive sponsors joined weekly huddles.
- Those sponsors validated ideas and defended the team, shifting relationships from reactive to collaborative.
Students Learned Collaboration The Hard Way
- Allison describes graduate students rushing to build dashboards without early stakeholder collaboration and later discovering misaligned requirements.
- That repeated pattern motivated her to teach better collaborative workflows to avoid wasted work.
Dashboards Aren't Finished Products
- Dashboards often see initial interest and then die when upkeep and relevance lapse.
- A successful dashboard is never finished; it must evolve, be maintained, and stay front-of-mind to deliver long-term value.