HTML Data Dashboard Markup: Metrics, Summaries, and Figures

A dashboard summarizes several pieces of information. Headings identify each metric; data and progress can supply suitable machine-readable or visual meanings.

What You Need to Know

A progress element is for completion toward a known goal, not for every statistic. Give each number its label so it makes sense without color.

Example: See It in Action

Here is a simple example to experiment with. Type it, save the file, and check what the browser displays.

This is a short HTML fragment. To try it as a webpage, put it inside the body element of a complete HTML document.

<main>
    <h1>School Dashboard</h1>
    <section>
        <h2>Books borrowed</h2>
        <p><data value="124">124</data>
        </p>
    </section>
    <section>
        <h2>Goal progress</h2><progress value="65" max="100">65%</progress>
    </section>
</main>

Let’s Understand the Example

• Main identifies the central content of the page; it should not be duplicated as separate visible main landmarks.
• An h1 introduces the main subject of the page. Use the heading level for structure rather than font size.
• Section groups content around a shared topic and usually has a heading.
• Value is the value represented or submitted by a control or data element.
• Max sets the upper allowed value for suitable numeric and date controls.

You should see a readable heading and its related content. The heading level tells readers how the ideas fit together, not merely how large the letters look.

What Should You See?

The page should display “School Dashboard” as a heading, followed by its related content. Change the heading text and refresh the browser to see the result.

Read only the headings, from top to bottom. Do they tell a sensible story? If not, move sections or choose levels that match the content.

Try It Yourself

1. Add a third metric and state the measurement period.
2. Save your changes, open or refresh the page, and compare the result with the original example.
3. Tell a friend what your change did. If you are not sure, undo it, refresh the page, and compare.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Showing a large number with no explanation of what was counted.
• Avoid picking tags just for their default bold, italic or spaced appearance. Use CSS for presentation.

Key Takeaways

• A dashboard summarizes several pieces of information.
• Main identifies the central content of the page; it should not be duplicated as separate visible main landmarks.
• A progress element is for completion toward a known goal, not for every statistic. Give each number its label so it makes sense without color.