interactive-dashboard-builder

name	interactive-dashboard-builder
description	Build self-contained interactive HTML dashboards with Chart.js, dropdown filters, and professional styling. Use when someone asks to create a dashboard, build an interactive report, generate a shareable HTML file with charts and filters, or needs a visual data summary that works without a server.

Interactive Dashboard Builder

Build standalone HTML dashboards that work in any browser — no server, no dependencies beyond CDN-hosted Chart.js.

When to Use

• User has data (CSV, JSON, SQL results, spreadsheet) and wants a visual overview
• Need a shareable report that works offline
• Quick dashboard without setting up Metabase/Grafana/Tableau
• Prototype before building a production dashboard

Architecture

Single .html file containing:

• Chart.js (via CDN) for all visualizations
• Inline CSS for professional styling (dark/light theme support)
• Vanilla JS for interactivity (filters, tooltips, responsive layout)
• Embedded data as JSON within the file (no external API calls)

Build Process

Step 1: Understand the Data

• Read the data source (CSV, JSON, database results)
• Profile: row count, column types, date ranges, categorical values
• Identify the key dimensions (what to filter/group by) and measures (what to chart)

Step 2: Design the Layout

Standard dashboard layout:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Dashboard Title                    [Filters ▾]  │
├──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬────────────────┤
│  KPI 1   │  KPI 2   │  KPI 3   │    KPI 4      │
├──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴────────────────┤
│                                                  │
│         Primary Chart (line/bar/area)            │
│                                                  │
├─────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┤
│   Secondary Chart   │    Secondary Chart         │
│   (pie/donut)       │    (bar/comparison)        │
├─────────────────────┴────────────────────────────┤
│                  Data Table                       │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 3: Chart Type Selection

Data Pattern	Recommended Chart	Chart.js Type
Trend over time	Line chart	line
Category comparison	Horizontal bar	bar (indexAxis: 'y')
Part of whole	Donut chart	doughnut
Distribution	Histogram (bar)	bar
Two variables	Scatter plot	scatter
Multiple series	Stacked bar or grouped bar	bar (stacked)
KPI / single number	Big number card	HTML/CSS

Step 4: Implement Filters

// Dropdown filter pattern
function filterData(dimension, value) {
    const filtered = value === 'All'
        ? rawData
        : rawData.filter(row => row[dimension] === value);
    updateCharts(filtered);
    updateKPIs(filtered);
    updateTable(filtered);
}

Step 5: Styling Principles

• Font: System font stack (-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto)
• Colors: Professional palette, colorblind-safe (use Chart.js built-in palettes)
• KPI cards: Large number, small label, optional trend indicator (↑↓)
• Responsive: CSS Grid with minmax() for card layout
• Dark mode: prefers-color-scheme: dark media query with CSS variables

Step 6: Data Embedding

For dashboards < 5MB of data, embed directly:

<script>
const DATA = [/* JSON array */];
</script>

For larger datasets: use fetch() to load a companion .json file.

Output

Save as [name]-dashboard.html in the project workspace. Single file, opens in any browser.

Integration

• Read data context skill (if exists) for metrics definitions and terminology
• Follow brand voice from BUSINESS-CONTEXT.md for dashboard titles and labels
• Save to workspace for user access