Dashboards shouldn’t feel like a game of hide and seek. Unless, of course, your users enjoy searching for data instead of actually using it. A great ServiceNow dashboard puts the right information front and center, so users can make decisions without playing detective. Whether you’re a developer, admin, or designer, creating a dashboard that works isn’t just about mastering the system; it’s about understanding the people using it. In this article, I'll share 10 practical tips to help you build ServiceNow dashboards that are useful to everyone.

1. Define the Purpose of the Dashboard

Each dashboard should have a clear goal. Any dashboard that tries to serve too many functions will overwhelm users rather than help them. Identify what users need to accomplish and build around that goal.

IT Support Agents: Prioritize open tickets, incident severity, and SLA progress
Executives: Focus on high-level KPIs, trends over time, and performance summaries
Project Managers: Provide insights into workload distribution, deadlines, and resource allocation

Take it to the next level and gather direct feedback from the people who’re using the dashboards. Observing how they interact with them will provide insights into their pain points and help refine the design.

2. Use Performance Analytics for Context, Not Just Data

Raw data without context does little to help anyone including your users. ServiceNow’s Performance Analytics (PA) enables dashboards to present trends, comparisons, and meaningful insights rather than just static reports.

For example, showing that ticket resolution times have increased over the past three months is more useful than simply displaying the current number of open tickets. Use charts and trend indicators to highlight changes over time.

The User Experience Special Interest Group (UX SIG) provides additional resources on structuring dashboards for better clarity and impact.

Raw Data VS Contextual Data

3. Show Only What’s Necessary

A cluttered dashboard is the spreadsheet’s evil twin. It looks busy, feels chaotic, and makes you question your life choices. Don’t let your users suffer; keep it clean, or they’ll start plotting their escape to a simpler UI. Simplify the design by:

Placing key metrics at the top or in the most prominent position.
Grouping related elements logically to reduce cognitive load (the amount of information our working memory can process at any given time.)
Using collapsible sections for secondary information.
Removing unnecessary widgets that do not directly support the dashboard’s goal.

Thoughtful organization and use of white space will make dashboards more readable and easier to navigate.

Cluttered & Unhelpful

Improved Hierarchy & Organization

4. Improve Load Times by Reducing Unnecessary Processing

A slow dashboard will quickly lose its value. To ensure dashboards load in efficiently:

Reduce the number of widgets you’re using because each additional widget will add to the overall load time
Enable caching to reduce repetitive calculations
Instead of loading all data at once, allow users to filter what they need
Only use live data updates where necessary

We definitely recommend trying out performance testing under different conditions to help identify bottlenecks before the dashboard is deployed to a larger audience.

5. Encourage Interaction for Deeper Insights

I always try to instill functionality over looks in all the projects we have done. Why? Well, take Google Search, for instance. It’s looked almost the same for years because it’s built to do one thing really well: help you find what you need and fast. Your dashboard should work the same way. Display data and give users the tools to explore it. Here’s how to make that happen:

Make charts clickable so users can dive into detailed reports with a single click
A lot of data should have adjustable filters so users can narrow results by date, category, or urgency
Hover tooltips are great since they’re like sticky notes; helpful but not in the way. Use those small pop-ups to explain things without cluttering the screen

When you focus on functionality, you’re not just building a dashboard; you’re creating something that helps users find what they need without getting bogged down. Most would agree that the best tools are the ones that work so well, you don’t even notice them.

6. Ensure Dashboards Work Across Devices

Users access ServiceNow dashboards on a variety of screen sizes, from desktop monitors to their mobile devices. Make sure that key data remains visible on small screens, widgets adjust dynamically to different resolutions, and buttons and touch targets are large enough for easy interaction.

It’s important here to test your dashboards on multiple devices to confirm that usability remains consistent.

7. Maintain Consistency Across Dashboards

A user navigating between different dashboards should never feel lost. Standardizing design elements helps create a predictable, branded, and efficient experience. Some simple examples are to:

Use the same colors, fonts, and layouts across dashboards
Label sections clearly and use consistent terminology
Follow ServiceNow’s UI best practices to ensure familiarity

A uniform approach reduces cognitive load and allows users to interpret new dashboards faster.

8. Automate Updates to Keep Data Relevant

Dashboards should not require constant manual updates. While setting up automation may take time initially, it ensures accuracy and reduces long-term maintenance efforts. Consider these options:

Scheduled reports deliver fresh snapshot reports for users to monitor processes periodically, improving dashboards by reserving them for uncluttered, real-time data insights.
Flow Designer automations trigger dashboard updates based on predefined conditions. Some examples:

Automatically create a dashboard when a new project is initiated.
Clean up old dashboards that haven’t been accessed within a specified period.
Enforce compliance by notifying admins of unauthorized dashboard changes.

Alerts and Notifications: Keep users informed of critical changes in real-time, ensuring timely action.

By automating updates, dashboards remain useful and relevant without adding manual workload for admins.

9. Make Dashboards Accessible for All Users

This is what I would consider to be the most important tip out of all 10. ServiceNow dashboards should be designed with accessibility in mind to support a wide range of people using your dashboard. While ServiceNow does a great job at ensuring accessibility on their platform, make sure to keep these in mind as you set everything up:

High-contrast color schemes improve readability.
Keyboard navigation ensures usability without a mouse.
Alt text for charts and images supports screen reader users.
Adjustable font sizes allow customization for different visual needs.

Prioritizing accessibility benefits everyone by improving overall readability and usability.

10. Continually Improve Based on User Feedback

Any design should evolve over time to remain effective. It’s always recommended to review how users engage with them and make necessary adjustments:

Conduct user testing sessions to identify their pain points.
Analyze usage patterns to see which widgets users engage with most.
Iterate based on feedback to refine clarity and usefulness.

Just remember that your dashboard is never truly finished as it should adapt to users’ changing needs and behaviors.

Overall, your ServiceNow dashboard should make critical information easy to access, interpret, and act upon. By focusing on usability, performance, and clarity, you can create dashboards that genuinely help users accomplish their tasks efficiently.

For further insights and best practices for ServiceNow UX, I’ve linked some helpful resources below.

10 Tips for Creating Better ServiceNow Dashboards for Your Users

By Zoe M.H.