Report audience analysis and persona-driven design recommendations for Power BI reports
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Domain | Power BI Report Design |
| Category | Audience Analysis & Persona-Driven Layout |
| Trifecta | SKILL.md + pbi-audience-profile.instructions.md + audience-profile.prompt.md |
| Depends | pbi-layout-generate (layout), pbi-executive-summary (narrative), dashboard-design |
Analyze the intended audience of a Power BI report and generate persona-driven design recommendations. Different audiences need different levels of detail, interactivity, and visual complexity. An executive dashboard is not the same as an analyst workbook.
The cardinal rule: design for the audience, not the data. Start with who will use the report and work backward to what they need.
Audience Input → Persona Match → Capability Assessment → Design Profile → Layout Recommendations → Present
| Stage | What Happens | Failure Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Audience input | User describes who the report is for | No description → prompt with questions |
| Persona match | Map to closest archetype (Module 2) | No fit → build custom profile |
| Capability assessment | Determine data literacy, tool access, device profile | Unknown → assume general business user |
| Design profile | Generate constraints and preferences | N/A |
| Layout recommendations | Suggest page layout, visual types, interactivity level | N/A |
| Present | Show profile card + design guide | N/A |
| Archetype | Data Literacy | Typical Role | Time Budget | Key Need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Low-Medium | C-suite, VP | 30 seconds | Conclusions, KPI status, alerts |
| Manager | Medium | Director, Team Lead | 2-5 minutes | Trends, comparisons, drill-down |
| Analyst | High | BI Analyst, Data Analyst | 15-30 minutes | Exploration, raw data, exports |
| Operational | Low-Medium | Front-line staff | 1-2 minutes | Daily metrics, task guidance |
| External | Low | Clients, board members | 1-3 minutes | Polished, branded, self-explanatory |
| Regulatory | Medium-High | Auditor, compliance | 5-15 minutes | Precision, drill-to-detail, traceability |
| Constraint | Executive | Manager | Analyst | Operational | External | Regulatory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max visuals/page | 4-6 | 6-10 | 10-15 | 3-5 | 4-6 | 6-10 |
| Interactivity | Minimal | Moderate | Full | Minimal | None/Minimal | Moderate |
| Slicers visible | 0-1 | 2-4 | 4-8 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 2-4 |
| Text density | Very low | Low-Medium | High | Very low | Low | Medium-High |
| Color palette | Brand colors | Functional | Functional | High contrast | Brand+polished | Neutral |
| Font size minimum | 14pt | 12pt | 10pt | 14pt | 12pt | 11pt |
| Chart complexity | Simple (bar, KPI) | Moderate (line, combo) | Complex (scatter, waterfall) | Simple (KPI, gauge) | Clean (bar, donut) | Detail (table, matrix) |
| Mobile-friendly | Required | Preferred | Optional | Required | Required | Optional |
| Export capability | PDF + Excel | All formats | None needed | Excel + detail |
| Device | Resolution | Design Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop (16:9) | 1280×720 default | Standard PBI canvas |
| Laptop (small) | 1366×768 | Reduce visual count or use scroll |
| Tablet | 1024×768 | Consider PBI mobile layout |
| Phone | 375×812 | PBI phone layout, single-column |
| Large display | 1920×1080+ | Can fit more visuals, larger fonts |
| Projector | Variable | High contrast, large text, minimal detail |
## Audience Profile — [Report Name]
### Primary Audience
- **Archetype**: [Executive / Manager / Analyst / ...]
- **Typical roles**: [CEO, CFO, Regional VP ...]
- **Data literacy**: [Low / Medium / High]
- **Time budget**: [30 seconds / 2 min / 15 min ...]
- **Primary device**: [Desktop / Tablet / Phone / Projector]
### Design Constraints
- Max visuals per page: [N]
- Interactivity level: [Minimal / Moderate / Full]
- Slicers: [N, types]
- Minimum font size: [Npt]
- Color approach: [Brand / Functional / High contrast]
- Mobile layout: [Required / Optional]
### Recommended Page Structure
1. **Page 1** — [purpose, layout template, visual types]
2. **Page 2** — [purpose, layout template, visual types]
3. **Page 3** — [purpose, layout template, visual types]
### Accessibility Notes
- [WCAG contrast requirements]
- [Alt text requirements]
- [Keyboard navigation needs]
When a report serves multiple audiences:
| Strategy | When to Use | How |
|---|---|---|
| Separate pages | Distinct audience needs | Executive summary page + detail pages |
| Progressive disclosure | Same audience, variable depth | KPI → click to trends → drill to detail |
| Bookmarks | Multiple views of same data | "Executive View" vs "Analyst View" toggle |
| Row-level security | Different data access levels | Filter data, not layout |
| Tooltip details | Brief view needs optional depth | Hover for supporting data |
| Pattern | Why It Fails | Do This Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Design for the data, not the user | Data-first reports overwhelm business users | Start with audience needs |
| One layout for all audiences | Executive does not want 15 slicers | Tailor to primary archetype |
| Assume high data literacy | Most consumers are not analysts | Default to medium-low literacy |
| Ignore device constraints | Phone users can't use 20-visual desktop layouts | Design for primary device first |
| Skip accessibility | Excludes users with visual impairments | WCAG AA contrast + alt text always |