Effective Work Samples for Evaluating AI Executive Dashboard Creation Skills

Creating effective executive dashboards powered by AI requires a unique blend of technical expertise, business acumen, and communication skills. Candidates must demonstrate their ability to translate complex data into actionable insights while leveraging AI capabilities to provide predictive analytics and automated intelligence. The right talent in this space can transform how executives make decisions, providing them with real-time, relevant information that drives strategic initiatives.

Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in this specialized field. While a candidate may articulate their understanding of AI concepts or dashboard design principles, only through practical application can you assess their ability to execute. Work samples provide a window into how candidates approach problems, prioritize features, communicate with stakeholders, and implement technical solutions.

The exercises outlined below are designed to evaluate candidates across multiple dimensions: technical AI knowledge, dashboard design expertise, business understanding, and communication skills. By observing candidates as they work through these scenarios, you'll gain valuable insights into their thought processes, problem-solving approaches, and ability to deliver executive-ready solutions.

Implementing these work samples as part of your interview process will significantly improve your ability to identify candidates who can truly deliver AI-powered dashboards that executives will actually use. The best candidates will demonstrate not just technical proficiency, but also an understanding of what makes dashboards valuable to decision-makers at the highest levels of an organization.

Activity #1: AI Dashboard Strategy and Planning

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to strategize and plan an AI-powered executive dashboard project. It reveals their understanding of business requirements, AI capabilities, and how to align technology with executive needs. The best candidates will demonstrate a structured approach to planning, thoughtful consideration of AI implementation, and clear prioritization of features that deliver business value.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide the candidate with a brief describing a fictional company, its industry, key business challenges, and the executive team's information needs.
• Include available data sources (sales data, customer information, operational metrics, etc.) and any existing analytics infrastructure.
• Allow 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
• Provide a template document with sections for project scope, timeline, AI features, data requirements, and success metrics.
• Have a technical manager and a business stakeholder present to evaluate the candidate's plan.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the company brief and develop a comprehensive plan for an AI-powered executive dashboard.
• Outline 3-5 key metrics or KPIs that should be included and explain why they matter to executives.
• Identify specific AI capabilities (predictive analytics, anomaly detection, natural language processing, etc.) that would enhance the dashboard's value.
• Create a high-level project timeline with key milestones.
• Describe data requirements, potential challenges, and how you would address them.
• Present your plan in a 10-minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of Q&A.

Feedback Mechanism:

• The interviewer should provide feedback on the strategic thinking demonstrated in the plan, highlighting one aspect that was particularly strong.
• For improvement feedback, focus on one area where the candidate could enhance their approach (e.g., more specific AI implementation details, better alignment with executive needs).
• Give the candidate 5-10 minutes to revise one section of their plan based on the feedback.

Activity #2: AI Dashboard Prototype Design

This exercise assesses the candidate's ability to translate business requirements into a functional dashboard design that incorporates AI elements. It evaluates their visual design skills, understanding of data visualization best practices, and ability to integrate AI insights effectively. This activity reveals how well candidates can create intuitive interfaces that make complex AI insights accessible to executives.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide a scenario with specific business metrics that need to be visualized (e.g., sales performance, customer acquisition costs, product usage).
• Include sample data in a spreadsheet format that the candidate can use.
• Offer access to a design tool (Figma, Sketch, PowerPoint, or even paper and markers for a low-tech option).
• Allow 60 minutes for this exercise.
• Prepare specific questions about the design choices and AI integration.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Create a wireframe or mockup of an executive dashboard that incorporates AI-driven insights.
• Include at least one visualization that shows historical data alongside AI-generated predictions.
• Design at least one AI-powered alert or recommendation feature.
• Create a section that demonstrates how natural language processing could be used to allow executives to query data.
• Be prepared to explain your design choices, including layout, visualization types, and AI feature integration.
• Consider how executives will interact with the dashboard and what actions they might take based on the insights.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide positive feedback on one aspect of the design that effectively communicates insights to executives.
• For improvement feedback, suggest one way the candidate could enhance the AI integration or improve the visual clarity of the dashboard.
• Allow the candidate 10 minutes to revise one element of their design based on the feedback.

Activity #3: AI Model Selection and Implementation Planning

This exercise evaluates the candidate's technical AI knowledge and their ability to select appropriate models for specific dashboard features. It reveals their understanding of AI capabilities, limitations, and implementation considerations. This activity helps identify candidates who can bridge the gap between theoretical AI knowledge and practical business applications.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a scenario describing specific predictive or analytical needs for an executive dashboard (e.g., sales forecasting, customer churn prediction, anomaly detection in financial data).
• Provide information about available data (volume, types, quality) and any technical constraints.
• Include a template for the candidate to document their AI model selection and implementation approach.
• Allow 45 minutes for this exercise.
• Have a technical AI specialist available to evaluate the candidate's responses.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the scenario and recommend specific AI/ML models that would address the business needs.
• Explain why you selected these models over alternatives.
• Outline the data preprocessing steps required for your chosen models.
• Describe how you would evaluate the models' performance and ensure they meet executive needs.
• Identify potential challenges in implementing these models and how you would address them.
• Explain how the outputs from these models would be integrated into the executive dashboard.
• Document your approach using the provided template.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide positive feedback on one aspect of the candidate's technical approach or reasoning.
• For improvement feedback, suggest one area where the candidate could enhance their implementation plan or model selection.
• Allow the candidate 10 minutes to revise their approach based on the feedback, focusing specifically on addressing the improvement area.

Activity #4: Executive Communication and Dashboard Presentation

This exercise assesses the candidate's ability to communicate complex AI concepts and dashboard insights to executive stakeholders. It evaluates their presentation skills, business acumen, and ability to translate technical details into business value. This activity helps identify candidates who can effectively bridge the gap between technical implementation and executive understanding.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario where the candidate must present an AI-powered dashboard to a C-suite audience.
• Provide a sample dashboard with AI-generated insights (this can be a static mockup with annotations explaining the AI elements).
• Include background information on the fictional executives, their priorities, and potential questions or concerns.
• Allow 30 minutes for preparation and 15 minutes for the presentation and Q&A.
• Have team members role-play as executives with different perspectives (e.g., CEO focused on strategy, CFO concerned about ROI, CTO questioning technical implementation).

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the sample dashboard and prepare a 10-minute presentation for the executive team.
• Explain the key insights provided by the dashboard, highlighting how AI enhances these insights.
• Translate technical AI concepts into business value and outcomes.
• Anticipate and address potential questions or concerns from different executive perspectives.
• Recommend specific actions executives might take based on the dashboard insights.
• Be prepared to handle challenging questions about the dashboard's functionality, the reliability of AI predictions, and the ROI of the implementation.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide positive feedback on one aspect of the candidate's communication or presentation skills.
• For improvement feedback, suggest one way the candidate could better explain technical concepts or more effectively address executive concerns.
• Allow the candidate 5 minutes to revise and re-deliver a specific portion of their presentation based on the feedback.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allocate for these work samples in our interview process?

Each exercise requires approximately 60-90 minutes including setup, execution, feedback, and revision. We recommend selecting 1-2 exercises most relevant to your needs rather than attempting all four in a single interview session. You might consider splitting these across different interview stages or combining a take-home component with an in-person presentation.

What if we don't have the technical expertise to evaluate the AI aspects of these exercises?

Ensure you have at least one team member with AI knowledge participating in the interview. If that's not possible, focus more on the dashboard design and communication exercises, which require less technical AI expertise to evaluate. You might also consider bringing in an external consultant for technical evaluation or providing more structured evaluation criteria.

How can we make these exercises fair for candidates with different backgrounds?

Provide clear instructions and resources to all candidates. Consider offering multiple options for tools (e.g., allowing candidates to use familiar design software). Be mindful that candidates from different industries may approach executive dashboards differently, so evaluate based on their reasoning and approach rather than industry-specific knowledge.

Should we provide real company data for these exercises?

No, use fictional or anonymized data to protect confidentiality. The exercises are designed to test approach and skills rather than specific domain knowledge. Creating realistic but fictional scenarios allows you to control the complexity and focus the evaluation on the skills that matter most.

How do we evaluate candidates who have strong technical AI skills but weaker visualization design skills, or vice versa?

Weight the evaluation criteria according to your specific needs. If you have a team where these skills are complementary, you might prioritize candidates who excel in areas where your team has gaps. Consider creating a scoring rubric that reflects the relative importance of different skills for your specific role.

Can these exercises be adapted for remote interviews?

Yes, all of these exercises can be conducted remotely. Use collaborative tools like Miro, Figma, or Google Docs for the design exercises. For presentations, use video conferencing with screen sharing. Provide clear instructions on tools and expectations, and consider sending materials in advance to account for potential technical issues.

Finding the right talent to create AI-powered executive dashboards is crucial for organizations looking to leverage data for strategic decision-making. By implementing these work samples, you'll gain deeper insights into candidates' abilities than traditional interviews alone can provide. The best candidates will demonstrate not just technical proficiency with AI and visualization tools, but also a strategic understanding of executive needs and excellent communication skills.

Yardstick can help you further refine your hiring process for AI dashboard creators with our suite of tools. Our Interview Intelligence platform can help you analyze candidate responses and identify patterns across successful hires. Our Interview Orchestrator can help you design and execute the perfect interview process tailored to your specific needs. And our Predictive Talent Analytics can help you track the performance of your hires over time, refining your selection criteria based on actual outcomes.

For more resources to improve your hiring process, check out our AI Job Descriptions generator, AI Interview Question Generator, and AI Interview Guide Generator.

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