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What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Dashboards? Alper Sarikaya, Michael Correll, Lyn Bartram, Melanie Tory, and Danyel Fisher IEEE InfoVis 2018 http://bit.ly/dashboardconspiracy
What Do We Talk About When We Talk About
Dashboards?
Alper Sarikaya, Michael Correll, Lyn Bartram, Melanie Tory, and Danyel Fisher
IEEE InfoVis 2018
http://bit.ly/dashboardconspiracy
Dashboards arepeoples’ primary access to data-driven thinking
We ignore dashboardsas a research community
DB007
DB123 DB024 DB121
DB006
DB043
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)DB001
DB056
DB021 DB102
DB117
Non-interactivity (definitely not VA-like)
Extremely simplevisuals
Non-expressivevisual language
How do challengeswith dashboards
extend visualizationresearch?
Non-interactivity (definitely not VA-like)
Extremely simplevisuals
How do challengeswith dashboards
extend visualizationresearch?
Non-expressivevisual language
Non-interactivity (definitely not VA-like)
Extremely simplevisuals
How do challengeswith dashboards
extend visualizationresearch?
Non-expressivevisual language
Non-interactivity (definitely not VA-like)
Extremely simplevisuals
How do challengeswith dashboards
extend visualizationresearch?
Non-expressivevisual language
Two-prong approach
Multi-domain literature review(how do other fields view dashboards?)
Survey of Examples(how are dashboards designed?)
Lessons from the Field
What does the literature say about dashboard use in practice?
diversity
Smart Cities
HealthcareEducation
Personal Analytics
Business Intelligence
Social Orgs
Familiar Challenges
End-user flexibility
Difficult to target dashboards for a diverse range of analysis tasks, goals, and users
Could include: view configuration, what-if analysis, data choice, automatic insights, storytelling & animation…
Visual, analytic, and data literacy
“...most users do not have the time or motivation to learn new software applications. The golden rule is to simplify, simplify, simplify!”
How do we educate users to use new interactions and designs?
Familiar Challenges
End-user flexibility
Difficult to target dashboards for a diverse range of analysis tasks, goals, and users
Could include: view configuration, what-if analysis, data choice, automatic insights, storytelling & animation…
Visual, analytic, and data literacy/fluency
“...most users do not have the time or motivation to learn new software applications. The golden rule is to simplify, simplify, simplify!”
How do we educate users to use new interactions and designs?
New challenges —Beyond the dashboard itself
Data is part of the design
Social impact
Accountability, provenance, and trust
“visual expression of the KPI mindset” [Angrave et al.]
[J. Tucker. How is your school doing?, www.sfgate.com]
Social Impact and Framing
Drug and alcohol related crime in Atlanta [O’Connell et al., 2016]
Exploratory Survey of Dashboard Examples
Exploratory Survey of Dashboard Examples
Reconcilation (final table?)
Example reconciliation?
Coded examplesReconcile categories
Resolve differences
Code DB001
Strategic Y
Tactical Y
Operational N
Learning N
Audience Org
Vis Literacy +
Requires Domain Knowledge N
Has Construction Aspects N
Has Interactive UI N
Can Modify Data/World N
Alerting+Notification N
Benchmarks Y
Multipage N
Streaming Y
Updatable Y
Highlighting Y
Categories and Features to Distinguish Dashboards
Decision Support (+ Learning)
DB064
Strategichigh-level trends; long temporal lag
TacticalMore actionable detailMedium temporal lag
Decision Support (+ Learning)
StorytellingNarrative structureBuilding context
DB012
Clusters of Dashboard Designs
Clusters of Dashboard Designs
Clusters of Dashboard Designs
Clusters of Dashboard Designs
• Decision-Making
• Awareness
• Motivation and Learning
• Dashboards Evolved
Cluster: Decision-Making
DetailsAugments domain
knowledge of viewer
BenchmarksDrives priorityof actionability
DB036
InteractivityAllows viewer to“ask questions”
Cluster: Awareness
DB020
Designed for AwarenessAll data presented!
Limited interactivityViewer must understand chart intentions(very abstract)
Cluster: Motivation and Learning
DB117
AnnotationsExplanation of analysis context
Data with no benchmarksAllows viewers to drawtheir own conclusions
Cluster: Dashboards Evolved
DB007
Designed to tell a storyMulti-page with narrative structure
Visuals augment insights
Challenges for Vis Research and Practice
Challenges for Vis Research and PracticeMechanisms to support a diverse range of literacy —supporting experts but scaffolding and guiding novices
DB041
Challenges for Vis Research and PracticeLook beyond the dashboard – study the social context and impact of dashboard use in the world
DB122
Challenges for Vis Research and PracticeExtend the data and representational vocabulary —not all concepts can be reduced to KPIs and visual variables
DB101
Many more tidbits in our paper!
Dashboards are a great way to get access to users across many disciplines and interests(and potentially motivated users! [e.g. sports])
DB045
What We Know Is Wrong
Dashboards are more than a collection of visualizations
Consider the “dashboard form” as a holistic piece in data understanding
It’s time to start supporting “individual differences”
Thank you!
Alper Sarikaya, Michael Correll, Lyn Bartram, Melanie Tory, Danyel Fisher
Paper and Materials http://bit.ly/dashboardconspiracy
