Real estate is considered one of the five core organisational resources and is expected to add value to organisational performance. Within Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM), a central challenge is the alignment between the demand side (corporate strategy) and the supply side (real estate portfolio). Decision-making in real estate portfolio management is considered complex.

Decision Support Systems (DSS) such as the Preference-Based Accommodation Strategy (PAS) have been developed to support this alignment process by translating stakeholder preferences into measurable and comparable performance indicators. Although PAS provides a structured and preference-based approach to strategic decision-making, earlier pilot studies have indicated that stakeholders experience difficulties in using the accompanying PAS dashboard. These stakeholders mentioned that they struggled to understand the dashboard back and calculations. This resulted in reduced trust in dashboard outcomes and decreased decision-making support. While extensive literature exists on dashboard design principles and effectiveness criteria, no prior research has applied these principles specifically to a DSS context in CREM, nor to the PAS dashboard.
This thesis aims to develop and evaluate a redesigned PAS dashboard based on established dashboard design principles. The central research question is: How can a PAS dashboard be redesigned based on identified design principles, and what lessons can be drawn for dashboard design in general?

A Research Through Design methodology was adopted. First, a structured literature study identified dashboard design principles and criteria for effectiveness. These principles were translated into a design framework and used to analyse the existing PAS dashboard. Subsequently, a redesigned dashboard was developed iteratively. The redesign was verified and evaluated in workshops with participants. User feedback was analysed in relation to the identified effectiveness criteria.
The results indicate that applying design principles, single screen view, simplicity, layering of information, visual clarity, cognitive fit, and tailoring capabilities, contributes to improved stakeholder understanding and perceived usability of the PAS dashboard. The redesigned dashboard better supports the interpretation of preference scores, comparison of alternatives, and identification of interventions. Participants indicated improved transparency of the model backend and a clearer connection between input (preferences) and output (overall performance).

This research contributes to both theory and practice. It provides a structured framework that connects dashboard design principles, effectiveness criteria, and concrete design features for DSS in CREM. Furthermore, it demonstrates how dashboard design can enhance stakeholder engagement and informed decision-making within PAS. The findings offer practical lessons for the further implementation of PAS and for the design of dashboards in comparable decision-support contexts.