1
Making complex information
understandable is a daunting
task. You have to understand
your users’ business
requirements and the outcomes
they are trying to achieve to
deliver creative, credible ways
to use big data.
Years ago, when you thought you were coming down with the u, you reached for
a tissue, and perhaps some vitamins, and then hunkered down to see what
happened. Today, you are more likely to reach for your smartphone, searching for
terms like ‘u symptoms’ in Google.
Noticing this trend, Google launched its Flu Trends interactive maps that help health
workers spot the u early. Everyone from healthcare organizations to the general public
can use the early warning to plan and prepare. To make it work, Google analyzes
terabytes of data to come up with simple maps anyone can understand. Each terabyte
has the same storage capacity as a 40-foot-high stack of CD-ROMs. This is just one
example of how big data can make a real difference when it’s easy to use.
Sufce to say; today’s CIOs are constantly looking for ways to equip company
employees with powerful and easy-to-use applications which provide insights on data
being aggregated across the business. Data visualization software helps put end-users
in the driver’s seat and relieve IT departments of maintenance and customization
burdens. They enable senior teams to track and report on key performance indicators
in an easy to use and understand format.
But making all that complex information understandable is a daunting task. You have
to understand your users’ business requirements and the outcomes they are trying to
achieve to deliver creative, credible ways to use big data. Based on our experience
developing applications which translate data in to actionable information, we have
identied four application design principles that will help companies turn the key and
unlock the potential of their corporate data:
1. Understand context to develop effective applications that deliver the right
information to the right user.
2. Create intelligent queries – the questions you ask of the data – to give users the
right information. But you have to be careful to balance usable results with the
performance penalty complex queries can have on your servers, network, and
slower devices like smartphones.
3. Design visualizations that work with the way people absorb and retain
information.
4. Allow users the freedom to interact with data so they can explore and uncover
patterns and relationships on their own.
Get these four principles right, and you can start designing a credible application that
will drive real business outcomes.
1. UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT:
Put Your App in its’ Place
Every year, the holiday season brings small miracles, not the least of which is that all
those gifts bought online show up under the tree on time. Those millions of books,
DVDs and other treats ying off the shelves generate a huge amount of information.
Big Data Visualization:
4 App Design Principles To Help Unlock Hidden Company Insights
