Observable

To explore trends in healthcare labor statistics, hospital ownership, and healthcare fraud, Jung Hoon Son, M.D. created a data app using Observable Framework to display "data insights with unlimited versatility." Learn more about how the dashboard was built, and see the live version👇

“Static site generator” might not sound like the way to create better dashboards, but it is! In this video, we show you how it works, and how it leads to faster dashboards, less database load, and more control over data updates.

🔑 What's the key to building fast data apps? Data loaders! In Observable Framework, data loaders allow you to precompute static snapshots of data at build time, cutting down client-side data processing to make your data apps super speedy. They also bridge the language gap between data prep and data displays because they can be written in any language. Learn more about why we think data loaders are awesome:

Explore our technique examples for small, reusable examples of common development tasks like querying databases, creating charts, and writing data loaders in Python, R, Rust, and more. Copy and paste from our examples, then update with your own data and code, to fast-track your data app development: https://buff.ly/3YgO1Tu

Custom data apps are powerful, but they are expensive and time-consuming to build and maintain. Learn more about how Observable provides an alternative approach in this blog post: https://buff.ly/3SmGX49.

Climate Central, Inc. uses Observable to prototype, finalize, and publish interactive data apps that communicate local impacts of climate change to the public and decision-makers. Visit their new Observable Framework project to explore urban heat islands by census block group or tract across the United States: https://buff.ly/3VWCzK6

With traditional BI tools, you’re often constrained to out-of-the-box dashboard layouts, styling, and data visualizations.  On the other hand, when you create data apps with Observable Framework, everything is files- and code-based. This means you can build fully customized dashboards that are fine-tuned for your users’ needs, and that don’t leave insights on the table.  Check out our recent post to learn how you can build better dashboards and data apps with code:

Viewers get stuck in the weeds when dashboards display data at a higher resolution than needed for making informed decisions. In our recent post, we share strategies to align dashboards with the scales of business decisions. Learn how scheduled updates, smoothing, binning, and additional context can help viewers get from charts to decisions quickly and with confidence.

Modern data apps should seamlessly update to work on different devices, from large screens to small mobile phones. In our new video, learn how dashboards built with Observable Framework respond to window resizing by automatically updating chart dimensions and content layout for the best user experience, no matter the device.

Yesterday, we hosted a webinar on “Strategies to fight dashboard rot” with Data Visualization Developer Robert Kosara. If you weren’t able to join us, don’t worry — you can watch the recording here: