Transform Your Data: Master the Art of KPI Card Flipping in Power BI

Key insights

• Create Flipping KPI Cards in Power BI to add interactivity by showing a primary value on the front and additional details on the back.


• Design the Dataset with essential elements like KPI metrics, supporting details, and unique identifiers for smooth card functionality.


• Develop Two Layers of Visuals: Front Layer for primary KPIs and Back Layer for supplementary information using visuals such as Cards, Bar Charts, or Text Boxes.


• Implement a Bookmark System: Set up bookmarks to switch between front and back views, ensuring exclusive visibility using the Selection Pane.


• Create Flip Buttons: Use Shapes or Buttons with actions to navigate between bookmarks, enhancing usability through intuitive placement and customization.


• Fine-Tune Animations: Enable Page Transitions with effects like Fade for seamless flip animations; test functionality across devices in Power BI Desktop and Service.

Introduction to Flipping KPI Cards in Power BI

Creating flipping KPI cards in Power BI is an innovative way to add interactivity and engagement to your dashboards. This concept involves displaying a primary KPI value on the front of the card and flipping it to reveal additional information or context on the back. This could include trends, goals, or explanatory text that provide deeper insights into the data. In this article, we will explore how to design these flipping KPI cards, discuss the tradeoffs involved, and examine the challenges associated with different approaches.

Designing the Dataset

To create effective flipping KPI cards, the first step is to design your dataset carefully. This involves ensuring that your dataset includes the necessary KPI metrics, such as sales or profit margin, along with supporting details or visualizations like targets and trends. Additionally, each KPI should have a unique identifier, such as a category name, to distinguish it from others.

• KPI Metrics: These are the primary values you want to showcase, such as sales figures or profit margins.
• Supporting Details: Include visual elements like targets or trend lines to provide context.
• Unique Identifiers: Use category names or other identifiers to differentiate each KPI.

Balancing these factors is crucial. While it's important to provide comprehensive data, overloading the dataset can lead to cluttered visuals that are difficult to interpret. Therefore, focus on key metrics and their most relevant supporting details to maintain clarity and effectiveness.

Creating Two Layers of Visuals

The next step involves creating two visual layers for each KPI card. The front layer should display the primary KPI value, while the back layer reveals supplementary information such as trend charts or descriptive text.

• Front Layer: This should prominently feature the main KPI value using visuals like cards.
• Back Layer: Use bar charts, text boxes, or other visuals to show additional context.

For a seamless flip effect, align these visuals in a similar position. This alignment ensures that when the card flips, the transition appears smooth and professional. However, achieving this can be challenging, especially when dealing with complex datasets or multiple KPIs. Careful planning and testing are essential to ensure the visuals align correctly and the flip effect is visually appealing.

Using Bookmarks for Switching

To enable the flipping effect, use bookmarks in Power BI. Bookmarks allow you to toggle between the front and back views of the KPI cards.

• Setting Up Bookmarks: Enable the Bookmarks Pane and create two bookmarks: one for the front view and another for the back view.
• Toggling Visibility: Use the Selection Pane to manage the visibility of each layer, ensuring that only one is visible at a time.

This approach requires careful setup to ensure that the visuals are mutually exclusive. If both layers are visible simultaneously, it can confuse users and detract from the intended effect. Therefore, pay close attention to the visibility settings and test the bookmarks thoroughly to achieve the desired outcome.

Adding Flip Buttons and Animations

Interactive flip buttons are essential for navigating between the front and back views of the KPI cards. Use shapes or buttons in Power BI to create these interactive elements.

• Creating Flip Buttons: Assign actions to the buttons to navigate between bookmarks, and customize their appearance with icons or text like “More Info” or “Back.”
• Enabling Animations: Use page transitions, such as fade effects, to enhance the smoothness of the flip animation.

While animations can enhance the user experience, they should be used judiciously. Overuse of animations can slow down the dashboard and distract from the data. Therefore, balance the need for visual appeal with performance considerations to ensure the dashboard remains responsive and user-friendly.

Testing and Optimizing for Better User Experience

Once the flipping KPI cards are set up, testing is crucial to ensure they function as intended. Test the flips in Power BI Desktop and publish the report to the Power BI Service to verify interactivity on different devices.

• Keep It Simple: Focus on key information for both sides of the card to avoid clutter.
• Use Conditional Formatting: Highlight important metrics dynamically, such as color coding KPIs based on performance.
• Responsive Design: Ensure the layout adapts to different screen sizes, especially if the dashboard will be viewed on mobile devices.
• Accessibility: Use descriptive text for buttons to ensure usability for all audiences.

Testing across various platforms and devices is essential to identify any issues with responsiveness or interactivity. Additionally, consider accessibility features to make the dashboard usable for all audiences, including those with disabilities.

Advanced Techniques for Enhanced Interactivity

For those looking to take their flipping KPI cards to the next level, advanced techniques can add even more interactivity.

• Dynamic Text/Values: Use DAX measures to dynamically display values based on user interactions.
• Tooltips for Additional Context: Incorporate tooltips to provide more details without overcrowding the card.
• Drill-through Pages: Add drill-through functionality for users to explore detailed data related to the KPI.

These advanced techniques can significantly enhance the user experience by providing deeper insights and more interactive features. However, they also require a solid understanding of Power BI's capabilities and may involve more complex setups. Therefore, weigh the benefits of these features against the additional complexity they introduce to ensure they align with your overall dashboard goals. In conclusion, creating flipping KPI cards in Power BI is a powerful way to enhance interactivity and user engagement in your dashboards. By carefully designing the dataset, creating layered visuals, using bookmarks, and adding interactive elements, you can create professional-looking KPI cards that provide valuable insights. While there are challenges and tradeoffs involved, the end result is a dynamic and engaging dashboard that effectively communicates key data points.

Keywords

Power BI KPI cards flip interactive dashboard data visualization business intelligence report design analytics tools.