Table 5.

Seven features of highly actionable COVID-19 dashboards.

Number	Feature	Explanation	Examples
1	Know the audience and their information needs	Dashboards with a known audience and explicit aim had focus and continuity in their content, analysis and delivery. Techniques such as guiding key questions or overall composite scores clearly communicated the decision they intended to support. Multilanguage functionality and exact timing of updating signaled an awareness and intent to encourage their regular use by the intended decision maker.	#HowsMyFlattening [60], Covid Act Now [61], State of California [79].
2	Manage the type, volume, and flow of information	The selection of a concise number of indicators brought focus and importance to the information and the possibility to view indicators together at a glance. The use of indicators in moderation, although still spanning varied types of information, was especially effective. The ordering of information, from general to specific or in sections based on theme, made the flow of information intuitive.	Covid Act Now [61] reports on five key indicators. Deloitte [28] and the City of Vancouver [78] included a range of types of information.
3	Make data sources and methods clear	A clear source of data and explanation of an indicator’s construction, including potential limitations, was found to be an important component of trust in the dashboard and clarity in its reporting. This information can be provided in short narratives that support users to understand what is in fact being presented.	Denmark [80], France [76], Spain [81], and media pages of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation [82] and the New York Times [83] paid attention to narrating the calculation of indicators.
4	Link time trends to policy (decisions)	Reporting data over time together with the introduction of key infection control measures facilitated an understanding of their effect (or lack thereof). This was found to be conducive to generating public support for infection control measures.	ABC News [84] and Sledilnik [62] embed policy measures over time. The City of Toronto [85] reports city targets.
5	Provide data “close to home”	To inform individuals of risks in their immediate surroundings, granular geographic breakdowns are needed. Data that are highly aggregated are difficult to understand. Maps (over tables and charts) were most effective to provide geographic information.	The United Kingdom [86] offers post–code-level breakdowns. Germany [87] provided city- and borough-level information for Berlin.
6	Break down the population to relevant subgroups	Providing data with the possibility to explore varied population characteristics made indicators relatable to individual users. It enables understanding of risks and trends based on one’s own demographics. It can also facilitate equity-driven decision-making by exposing differences among the population.	Ethnicity and race breakdowns were provided in New Zealand [75] and various US dashboards [79,88-92]. #HowsMyFlattening [60] provided breakdowns on economic status.
7	Use storytelling and visual cues	A concise narrative explaining the significance of a trend supports users to understand the importance of the information. Bare statistics without a narrated analysis leave the burden of interpretation solely to the user. Brief explanations on the meaning of trends used in combination with visual techniques, such as intuitive color schemes and icons, supported ease of interpretation.	Covid Act Now [61] narrates the significance of trends. The State of Colorado [88] uses colored icons to signal the direction of trends.