Design a Successful User Experience with Xcelsius Dashboards

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7/30/2019 Design a Successful User Experience with Xcelsius Dashboards

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Design a successful user experience

with Xcelsius dashboards

Natasha Lloyd, SAP User ExperienceMico Yuk, Everything Xcelsius

May 19th, 2010

About us…

Seminar Agenda

1. (Natasha) User Experience in Dashboard Design

2. (Mico) Usefulness

3. (Natasha) Usability

4. (Natasha) Desirability

A dashboard is a visual display of the most

important information needed to achieve

one or more objectives; consolidated andarranged on a single screen so the informationcan be monitored at a glance.

Stephen Few

User Experience

Useful

DesirableUsable

Good UserExperience

Dashboards are used for monitoringimportant systems and processes within

an organization, so creating a good user experience should be at the core of every

dashboarding project.

Usefulness

Useful means that people using the dashboardare able to reach their goals by viewing the

relevant information they need in oneplace to make decisions.

Elements of Usefulness

Identify Correct KPIs

Identify the correct metrics to answer and solve the business problems

Easy information display

Also a part of usability, elements on screen should be visible via a glance

Accomplishing Usefulness

Scoping

Session set up to gather requirements, namely identify KPI’s and determine dashboard design

and functionality. Key is having the correct audience and capturing requirements in single

document.

Gathering Requirements

Type 1: Data requirements include the validation of the dashboard.

Type 2: Design requirements include the look and feel and overall dashboard layout.

Functional requirements involve how the user is expected to navigate through the dashboard.

What happens when a user clicks a component on the dashboard?

Understanding Audience

Having the correct audience = Representation from each end user group

Scoping is a user focused session to gather

the dashboard requirements. A good

scoping session starts with the correctaudience, and results in indentifying

KPI’s that will help the end users solve their

business problems.

Key to Successful Scoping Session

What is the key to conducting a good scoping session?

Doing research and previewing existing reports Understanding the business

Having the correct audience

Understanding what questions to ask

Results of Successful Scoping Sessions

What does the result of a good scoping session look like?

Dashboard contains correct KPI’s (used by business to solve problems) End users feel a sense of ownership over dashboard

Dashboard design is clean looking, functional and easy to use

Dashboard is approved by end users (usability)

Identified data to populate dashboard is available and accurate

Final dashboard is drastic improvement from any existing reports

There are 2 types of requirements to gather:

1st is the data requirements to identify the

KPI’s and validate data availability. 2nd is thedesign & functionality requirements which

entail the look/feel and navigation of the

dashboard.

Gathering Design & Functional Requirements

How to successfully gather design and functional requirements:

1. Start out with Hand Drawn models on white boards with users2. Develop a POC in Xcelsius that can be used to confirm look by sending screenshots to users

3. Once look is approved make dashboard functional for users to test

4. Get sign off!

Understanding Audience

Having the right audience and understanding their needs are keys to success:

Must have representation from each category of users in scoping sessions (3rd

partyrepresentation will not do)

Must have direct access to audience for POC sign off

Must understand business needs and problems to identify correct KPI’s

Must manage scope to set end user expectations

Must NOT create a one dashboard fits all (common pitfall)

Usability

Usability means that people using thedashboard can quickly and easily

accomplish their goals.

Elements of Usability

Learnability

How easy is it for people to accomplish their tasks the first time they use the dashboard?

Efficiency

Once people have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?

Memorability

When people come back to the design after a long time away, how easily do they regain

proficiency?

Errors

How many errors can people make with the design, how severe are those errors, and how

quickly can they recover from them?

Dashboard design is storytelling.

A good story contains a beginning, an end,

and a point.

Visual Hierarchy

Creates a center of interest that attracts the viewer’s attention

Creates a sense of order and balance

Establishes a pattern of movement to guide a viewer through a composition

Forming Relationships

Building an effective hierarchy involves the use of visual

relationships to add more or less visual weight to elements.

Visual contrast can be created through: Color

Texture Shape

Direction

Positioning

No Clear Hierarchy

A person’s short-term memory only holds7 bits of information, and only for

about 20 seconds.

Design for Short-Term Memory

In a dashboard, all related information should fit on one screen.

If you have to flip from one screen to another, short-term memory is triggered and

comparisons are nearly impossible.

Comparisons should not require more than 7 bits of information.

Good for Short-Term Memory

Bad for Short-Term Memory

Visualizations should be familiar and

appropriate for the type of information

presented.Don’t innovate when you can elevate.

Choosing the Right Visualization

If you want to…

Compare a set of values, use:

Column Chart Bar Chart Bubble Chart

If t t

If you want to…

Show rises and falls over time, use:

Line Chart Area Chart Sparkline Chart

If t t

If you want to…

Show parts of a whole, use:

Pie Chart Tree Map

If t t

If you want to…

Show relationships between data points, use:

XY Chart Radar Chart

If t t

If you want to…

Show a single value, use:

Gauge Bullet Chart Text

If t t

If you want to…

Show a lot of data in a condensed space, use:

Scorecard

U Pi Ch t d G S i l

Use Pie Charts and Gauges Sparingly

replace with

Bar ChartPie Chart

Bullet ChartGauge

Basic Interaction Guidelines

Clickable things should look clickable.

Labels should be self-descriptive.

Tooltips are passive and should not be used to convey crucial information.

When people need to select from a list of values, use:

Check Boxes for small lists (< 7 values) that allow multiple selection

Radio Buttons for small lists that allow a single selection

List Builder for long lists that allow multiple selection

Combo Box or List Box for long lists that allow a single selection

The 5 Second Usability Test

The 5-Second Usability Test

Show some people your dashboard for exactly 5 seconds and gather their initial

impressions. What do you remember?

What was the most important information in the dashboard?

Results

What do you remember?

What was the most important information in the dashboard?

The best way to identify usability problems is towatch people use your dashboard.

Evaluating Usability

A simple usability test involves:

A quiet room with a computer

One participant, one moderator, one note-taker

Tasks for the participant to perform

Open-ended questions

Creating Effective Tasks

Tasks should:

be representative of how the participant would use the dashboard

be carefully worded to not give away the solution

increase in difficulty

Sample Task

You work in the HR department and have been asked to assess the state of your

company based on a set of KPIs that are displayed in a dashboard.

1. Take a look at the dashboard and describe it in your own words.

2. Using the information displayed, identify the top 5 problem areas in the company.

Moderating a Usability Test

As a moderator, you:

interact with the participant without providing direct help

guide the participant through the tasks

observe the participant without commenting

ask questions to clarify the observed behavior

allow the participant to make mistakes

only offer help when the participant is really stuck

Test early and test often. Your users will

thank you.

Desirability

Desirability moves the user experience fromeasy to use to a joy to use.

A dashboard must be useful and usable

before it can be desirable.

Aesthetics

The first thing someone notices about your dashboard is how it looks:

Colors

Size and placement of elements

Imagery

And people quickly make judgments about:

Trustworthiness of the dashboard

Perceived usefulness

Perceived usability

If something is aesthetically pleasing, people are more likely to have positive

interactions with it and want to use it repeatedly.

Color should be used meaningfully and

consistently.

Images should be used sparingly.

Using Color and Images

Good uses of color:

Highlighting information that needs attention

Creating relationships between items

Clarifying visual hierarchy

Corporate branding

Good uses of images: Highlighting secondary information, such as trends

Corporate branding

Color and images should not be used solely for decoration.

General Guidelines for Using Color

Maximize the contrast between foreground and background colors

Avoid bright colors and busy backgrounds

Poor Use of Colors and Imagery

Good Use of Colors and Imagery

Personality of a Dashboard

Every dashboard has a personality:

Friendly

Professional

Approachable

Helpful

Innovative

Choose 3 adjectives you want people to use when describing your dashboard andincorporate them into your design.

Conveying Personality

Personality can be conveyed through:

Bright colors: Exciting, Fun

Subdued colors: Professional, Calm

Shapes

Round and glossy: Fun, Approachable

Straight and flat: Clean, Focused

Informal: Approachable, Simple

Formal: Trustworthy, Complex

Side-by-Side Comparison

You only get one chance to make a first

impression. Make sure it’s a good one.

Thank You!

Dashboard Examples By:

Ryan Goodman (ryangoodman.net)

InfoSol (infosol.com) Inverra (inverra.com)

MyXcelsius.com

Analysis Factory (analysisfactory.com)

(in order of appearance)

ContactNatasha Lloyd

natasha.lloyd@sap.com

Mico Yukmico@everythingxcelsius.com

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Design a Successful User Experience with Xcelsius Dashboards

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