Usability and usefulness of U. S. federal and state public health data dashboards: implications for improving data...

Dashboards that afford timely access to credible, relevant, and actionable data can significantly improve public health decision-making at all levels. As dashboards becomes more ubiquitous, it is imperative to proactively consider how they may be optimally designed to be usable and useful to users.

A cluster probability sample of U. S. federal and state public health dashboards (N = 210) was utilized to describe and compare common design elements and data characteristics of dashboards. A standardized valid and reliable instrument was used to extract data for assessing dashboards' usability and usefulness.

Dashboards are primarily designed for epidemiological surveillance and assessing disparities. Both federal and state dashboards rely heavily on data collected by federal agencies but many state dashboards also draw on local data. Vulnerable subpopulations are underrepresented in data used in dashboards. Federal dashboards score higher than state dashboards on usability but are comparable in usefulness. About one-third of state dashboards are hosted on third-party platforms and are prone to access disruptions.

Usability and usefulness of public health dashboards can be significantly enhanced by streamlining and enhancing users' experience and incorporating additional customization and analytical affordances. A uniform set of best-practices and standards for optimizing dashboard design and implementation does not yet exist as research on this topic is lagging. Policy implications: Additional federal and state investments are needed to build and maintain a robust infrastructure for developing, improving, and sustaining public health dashboards and incentivize rigorous, theory grounded research to optimize usability and usefulness of dashboards.