Excel & Power BI Dashboard Projects for Beginners

1️⃣ Introduction – Problem Setup
Before we dive into the data, let’s take a step back and think like a business.
It’s not enough for a car company to simply know how many cars it sold.
The real question is — what do customers actually prefer?

Do they want SUVs more than sedans?
Do they prefer automatics over manuals?
Which colors or brands excite them the most?

These are the kinds of insights that truly help a business stay competitive — and that’s exactly what this dashboard is designed to uncover.

2️⃣ Objective of the Dashboard
The Product Preferences Dashboard gives stakeholders a clear understanding of customer choices across different aspects — car models, colors, body types, transmission types, and even engine preferences.

By tracking KPIs in percentages instead of raw sales numbers, we get a clearer picture of relative popularity — making it easy to compare products side by side.

Specifically, this dashboard helps us:

• Identify market trends, like which models or body types are most in demand.

• Understand customer behavior, such as their transmission or color preferences.

• Support strategic decision-making — ensuring production and marketing focus on what customers truly value.

• And benchmark brand performance by comparing each company’s market share.

3️⃣ Business Questions – Framing Curiosity
To really get value from this dashboard, we need to ask the right questions.
Here are the key business questions we’ll be answering:

1. Which car models are most preferred by customers?

2. What body styles are most in demand — SUVs, sedans, hatchbacks, or others?

3. Do customers show stronger preferences for certain engine types — like petrol, diesel, hybrid, or electric?

4. What’s the balance between manual and automatic transmissions?

5. Which colors are most popular among customers?

6. And finally, do product preferences vary by region, and how does each car company compare in terms of market share?

These questions set the stage for deeper insights.

4️⃣ Dashboard Walkthrough – Chart by Chart

Let’s now walk through the dashboard and interpret what each section tells us.

Sales by Car Company and Model:
Here we can see which car companies and models are most preferred.
This answers our first business question — which products lead the market and which ones might need a boost in marketing or design.

Sales by Body Style:
Next, we explore body style preferences — whether customers lean more toward SUVs, sedans, or hatchbacks.
This insight helps the company align production and inventory with real demand.

Sales by Engine Type:
Here we look at engine preferences — petrol, diesel, hybrid, or electric.
This is especially important for long-term strategy.
If hybrid or electric vehicles are gaining traction, it signals a need for investment in innovation and R&D.

Sales by Transmission (Manual vs Automatic):
This chart shows customer preference between manual and automatic transmissions.
It also helps dealerships plan inventory and gives insight into whether markets are shifting more toward automatic vehicles.

Sales by Color:
Next, we have color preferences.
Customers often have strong color choices — and knowing the top-performing colors can guide production planning and marketing campaigns.

Regional Revenue and Quantity:
Finally, we explore performance by region.
Which regions generate the highest revenue?
Are there specific areas where certain models or body types perform better?
This helps with regional strategy, from marketing to logistics and supply chain planning.

5️⃣ Wrap-up – From Insights to Strategy
So, what we’ve seen here is that dashboards aren’t just pretty visuals — they’re tools for decision-making.

The Product Preferences Dashboard transforms raw sales data into meaningful insights about what customers actually want.
And when businesses understand customer preferences clearly, they can make smarter decisions about production, marketing, and inventory management.

From a learning point of view, this dashboard demonstrates how KPIs like percentages, market share, and trend indicators can drive real-world business strategies.