Question

What are the best practices for creating responsive layouts and custom themes in Power BI reports?

This question focuses on strategies for designing adaptable reports that ensure optimal user experience across various devices. It highlights the use of dynamic visuals, grid layouts, and bookmarks for interactivity, as well as techniques for implementing custom themes to maintain brand consistency through defined color palettes, fonts, and formatting styles

Answer 1

Designing and Developing Custom Themes and Responsiveness in Power BI Reports

Firstly, a few important recommendations should be noted to make the report aesthetically pleasing, easy to use, and efficient. Below is presented the outline:

• Responsive Layouts

Make Use of the Responsive Visuals Features: Power BI provides a responsive visuals feature that automatically scales visual components depending on the screen size. To use this feature, switch on the "Responsive" option on the format pane for every visual. This avoids the shock of different views for the visual with other devices, such as a desktop and a tablet.

Grid Layout:

1. When designing your report, consider using a grid system.
2. Position objects in a line and leave even spaces between visuals to achieve an orderly, neat finish.
3. Place similar visuals in one area to ease understanding and reading of the report. You may also consider placing borders in some areas where visuals may be contained and organized.

Test Across Devices: It's not enough to just deploy the reports. It's crucial to test them on a variety of devices and resolutions to ensure they remain user-friendly. Use the Power BI service or its mobile application to preview the report on different screen sizes and make any necessary adjustments.

• Custom Themes

Cohesive Colour Scheme: It is essential for brands or even the report's aim to select its blueprints wisely. Customize Your Theme to ensure that all visuals of a particular plot will have the same colors incorporated. Reporting becomes easier because any custom theme you create can be wrapped in a json file, which can easily be modified or authenticated.

Fonts and Text Types: Fonts should be selected in accordance with the size that favors reading. Using different fonts may be excessive and may cause confusion. Rather, limit them to one or two clients for body and headings. Make sure that your printed word clearly distinguishes itself from the background color.

Personalized Style: Use custom formatting features to emphasize key indicators or indexes. This may include resizing certain graphics, employing conditional styles for different sections of numeric data, or even using images to represent ideas instantaneously. Custom formatting allows the enhancement of major content and user experience.