Creating Navigation Buttons in Tableau: A Simple Trick to Make Dashboards Feel Smarter

When I first started using Tableau, I was excited to build dashboards—but quickly realized they could get cluttered and overwhelming for users. That’s when I discovered navigation buttons, a simple feature that completely changed how my dashboards felt: smoother, more interactive, easier to use and also interesting . In this blog, I’ll walk you through how I created navigation buttons in Tableau, why they’re useful, and how I used them in my healthcare (Sepsis) project.

During the final sprint of our Sepsis project, we wanted to make the dashboard more user-friendly by organizing it into sections—one for the overall summary, and separate views for MOD and APACHE score analysis. That’s when we decided to use navigation buttons to let users jump between the main dashboard and the detailed ones with a single click. It was my first time trying this feature in Tableau, and I was excited to learn how to implement it. I used the Button object, set the Navigation Target to the appropriate dashboard, and styled the buttons with clear labels like “ MOD ” and “Back ” I even added tooltips to guide users as they navigated through the views. This small feature made a big difference—it helped the dashboard flow better, reduced clutter, and gave me hands-on experience with improving UX in Tableau. Now, navigation buttons have become one of my favorite tools to make dashboards feel smooth, interactive, and well-designed.

Link --- "MOD" - "APACHE" Tableau Dashboard

Why Use Navigation Buttons?

• Break up complex dashboards into cleaner sections like 'APACHE & MOD Analysis ', 'MOD', and 'APACHE'—with each dashboard focusing on its respective analysis.

• Allow users to move between dashboards or views like pages in an app.

• Improve user experience and storytelling.

  
  

Step-by-Step: How to Create a Navigation Button in Tableau

Step 1: Create Multiple Dashboards or Sheets

For example:

• Dashboard 1: " APACHE & MOD Analysis "

• Dashboard 2: “ MOD ”

• Dashboard 3 : "APACHE "

  In our sprint, we built two dashboards—one for APACHE and another for MOD—and connected them to a main dashboard called "APACHE & MOD Analysis." To make navigation seamless, we added buttons that allowed users to move between the dashboards with a single click. It felt more like flipping through the pages of an app than scrolling endlessly. The best part? You can connect as many dashboards as you want using this method. Just add a navigation button, link it to the target dashboard, and you’re good to go!

Step 2: Add a Button Object

• Go to the target dashboard

• From the Objects pane, select 'Navigation', make sure the 'Floating' option is checked, then drag it onto the dashboard—a 'Button' will appear

  

  
  

Step 3: Configure the Button

Once the button is placed, click on it to open the settings panel, where you can choose the 'Navigation Target' (the dashboard you want it to link to), customize the button text, and even add a tooltip for better user guidance.

• Set Navigation Target → Click → Edit button

Now, select the dashboard you want to link to the button.

For example, here I’m selecting 'MOD DASHBOARD'—and click OK.

Similarly , I added another button for 'APACHE DASHBOARD' and finally it looked like this,

Added navigation buttons like these to switch between the main dashboard and detailed analysis views with just one click

• Choose a Button Style:

  • Text button: “MOD ”

  • Image button: Upload an icon (like an arrow or home symbol)

    

    
    

    You can choose either text or an image for your navigation button, depending on how you want it to look. I chose an image-based button that I found on Google and downloaded.

    

    Button image

    To use it, select the 'Image' option in the button settings and upload your image for both navigation buttons. If the image has a background you want to remove, you can use free tools like remove.bg to make it transparent. After that, you can use any basic editor like Canva or PowerPoint to add the button label text—this is what users will see on your dashboard. A clean, clear button makes navigation smooth and visually appealing.

Step 4: (Optional) Add Tooltip or Style

• Add a helpful message like “Click here to explore detailed vitals”

• Customize font, size, border, etc.

  
  

  

  Add Tooltip

  

  
  

Step 5: Test Navigation

Preview your dashboard and click the navigation button—it should take you to the selected dashboard.

For example:

• Click MOD → It should navigate to the MOD Analysis dashboard.

• Click APACHE → It should navigate to the APACHE Analysis dashboard.

Test all buttons to ensure the navigation flows smoothly and takes the user to the right views.

👉 You can try it yourself by clicking the dashboard link provided above and exploring the navigation in action!

Navigation Flow with Screenshots

1. Main Dashboard with Navigation Buttons

This is the Main Dashboard with two navigation buttons—MOD and APACHE—clearly labeled for easy access.

2. Navigating to MOD Dashboard

When you click on the MOD button, you’re taken to the MOD Analysis Dashboard for a detailed view.

3. Back Button on MOD Dashboard

To return to the Main Dashboard, simply click the ‘Back ’ button

4. Navigating to APACHE Dashboard

Clicking on the APACHE button from the main page brings you to the APACHE Analysis Dashboard

5. Back Button on APACHE Dashboard

Each detailed dashboard also includes a ‘Back’ button for smooth, user-friendly navigation

Navigation Flow Tip:

To ensure smooth transitions between dashboards, make sure all your dashboards are set to the same size (e.g., 1200 x 800 or any consistent layout you prefer). This avoids any resizing glitches and gives users a seamless experience when moving between the main and sub-dashboards.

Conclusion

Building this dashboard with navigation buttons was not just a technical exercise—it was a creative way to enhance user experience and tell a clearer story through data. By breaking up complex information into smaller, focused dashboards and linking them together, we made the analysis easier to follow and visually engaging.

Whether you're working on a healthcare project like sepsis or any domain-specific analysis, adding interactive navigation can take your Tableau dashboards to the next level.

I encourage you to try this out yourself! Start with a main summary dashboard, create a few focused sub-dashboards, and connect them using navigation buttons. It’s simple once you get the hang of it—and the results are impressive.

And remember: it’s not just about building dashboards, it’s about creating a smooth experience for your audience. Happy dashboarding!

Don’t forget to drop your dashboard link in the comments if you’ve created one! I’d be more than happy to check it out—and who knows, I might even get inspired by your work! 😊