For a consultant designing a dashboard to be consumed across multiple device types, the best approach is:

Multi-device Layout: Tableau provides the capability to design device-specific layouts within a single dashboard. This feature allows the dashboard to adapt its layout to best fit the screen size and orientation of desktops, tablets, and phones.

Fixed Size Layouts: By fixing the size of each layout, the consultant can ensure that the dashboard appears consistent and maintains the intended design elements and user experience across devices. Fixed sizes prevent components from resizing in ways that could disrupt the dashboard’s readability or functionality.

Implementation: In Tableau, you can create these layouts by selecting 'Device Preview' and adding custom layouts for each device type. Here, you define the dimensions and the positioning of sheets and controls tailored to each device's typical viewing mode.

References

This approach leverages Tableau’s device designer capabilities, which are specifically designed to optimize dashboards for multiple viewing environments, ensuring a seamless user experience regardless of the device used. This functionality is well documented in Tableau’s official guides on creating and managing device-specific dashboards.