Dashboards aren’t just built. They’re delivered.
Imagine ordering something online and hearing nothing for ten days. No order confirmation. No tracking updates. No expected delivery date. Then, out of the blue, a parcel shows up on your doorstep.
Would you feel confident in the process? Would you order from that provider again?
Probably not.
Yet that’s exactly how many dashboard projects unfold. Weeks go by. Silence fills the gaps. And then the final link appears in an inbox: “Here’s your dashboard.”
No context. No preview. No confidence.
The problem here isn’t technical. It’s psychological.
And it’s solvable – with something I call the Prime Dashboard Delivery Process.
What Stakeholders Really Want (Even if They Don’t Say It)
People don’t need dashboards to be fast. They need them to be visible. They need to feel included. They want to sense momentum and contribute meaningfully.
This isn’t just theory. It’s deeply rooted in behavioural science and consumer psychology – the same principles used in world-class product delivery and customer experience design.
If you’ve ever felt reassured by a parcel tracking page or felt satisfaction from watching your Uber move toward you on a map, you’ve already experienced a psychological moonshot.
What is a Psychological Moonshot?
Coined by Rory Sutherland at Ogilvy, a psychological moonshot is:
“A relatively small investment that drastically improves the perception of something.”
It’s about increasing satisfaction by improving what people feel – not just what they receive.
A good psychological moonshot doesn’t manipulate. It reveals. It reassures. It reminds the user that something is happening – and that they matter.
For dashboard teams, that means: stop hiding behind Kanban boards, RAID logs, or buried dev timelines. Start showing progress in ways stakeholders can feel.
Learning from Amazon: A Model for Communication-Driven Delivery
Amazon doesn’t just ship products. They shape customer perception every step of the way:
- 📨 “Order confirmed” gives immediate reassurance
- 🚚 “Dispatched” signals movement
- 🗺️ “Track your delivery” provides visibility
- 🔔 “Out for delivery” builds anticipation
- ✅ “Delivered” ends the experience with certainty
At no point is the customer left wondering if something’s gone wrong. Even if the item takes time to arrive, the communication fills that void.
We can do the same in dashboard projects. Not by copying Amazon’s steps exactly – but by adopting their philosophy:
Progress isn’t real unless it’s shared.
Why Silence is so Dangerous in Dashboard Delivery
Silence in a project doesn’t just mean “we’re busy.” It often reads as:
- “We’re stuck.”
- “We’ve forgotten you.”
- “You’re not needed anymore.”
It creates doubt. It stalls buy-in. And it almost always leads to feedback arriving too late to act on.
Even worse? It disconnects the stakeholder from the final product – making them less invested, less satisfied, and less likely to advocate for it.
Five Psychological Moonshots You Can Use Today
You don’t need to invent new tools or processes. You just need to make your work feel more real to the people waiting for it.
Here are five simple cues to build that momentum:
Wireframe = “Order Confirmed”
Share a rough sketch or layout after the scoping call. This creates immediate clarity: “This is the direction we’re heading.”
User Quote = “Social Proof”
Drop in a real comment from a future user or team member based upon conversions you’ve had with them during project meetings. This builds confidence that the design resonates beyond the dev team.
Side-by-Side Preview = “Visual Progress”
Show a “before and after” or “v1 and v2” with a few lines of commentary. Even small changes feel big when you highlight them. Depending on the stage this could be wireframes, charts, dashboard palette choices, style guide, dashboard widget or whole screenshots
Loom Walkthrough = “Tracking Link”
Record 2-minute screen shares of the current build. Let stakeholders see what’s working, even if it’s not finished.
Live Handover = “Prime Moment”
Treat the final delivery as an event. Share results, acknowledge contributions, and set up what’s next.
Use the ‘Peak-End’ Rule
Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman’s peak-end rule shows that people remember experiences based on two moments:
- The peak (the most emotionally intense point)
- The end (how it concluded)
If your stakeholder’s most intense moment was frustration… and the project ends with a quiet email… the whole experience is likely to be remembered as underwhelming.
You can flip this. Make the peak moment collaborative – like a mid-build demo where they spot something they suggested. And make the end feel like closure – with a walkthrough, a summary, and a clear invite to shape version 2.0.
Summary: Why the Prime Dashboard Delivery Process Works
- Stakeholders trust what they can see.
- Updates create confidence.
- Feedback flows better when the doors are open.
- Ending well sets up the next win.
The Prime Dashboard Delivery Process isn’t about showing off. It’s about delivering with visibility. It’s about making dashboards feel like they’re unfolding with your stakeholder – not just being dropped on them.
That’s how you create momentum, loyalty, and repeatable wins.
Next Step? Experience it for yourself:
🎓 Join our Tableau Intermediate Bootcamp and learn to deliver dashboards that engage from start to finish.
Or become a member of the Tableau Insights Community and test your own psychological moonshots in real builds.
