Design dashboards & deliver to clients

Background

What we did in Phase 1

Our management originally wanted to promote brand visibility to client executives by adding a dashboard in the application. Since the deadline was sooner than would be feasible to incorporate into the coding and review process, we settled on emailing a recurring static PDF using existing reporting features for a first version. Since then, we have patched the report with small tweaks, but never revisited the original goal of coding it into the application.

Tweaking the temporary solution

Although the paper version was originally a compromise, we have since expanded it to a semiannual version, showing identical information for a range of 6 months with 6 times the server impact; plus another monthly version that simply widens the filter for one table from 5 to 25 items. By having this information dynamic and user-accessible in the application, we could have saved development hours and potential annoyance with our emails. We cannot collect metrics on how much value these services add for users, since the delivery medium is an email attachment.

Challenges

Target audience doesn't use the application

Our software is used by front-line workers. Upper managers do not participate in its functions nor know the value it adds. As a vendor, we might reactively have to explain and defend that value when targeted for budget review by decision-makers who aren't even familiar with our product. Brand awareness is the problem the dashboard originally hoped to address, but by sending so many emails repeatedly for a service they didn't expect—with no option to unsubscribe—this could have the opposite effect of irritating them and hurting the brand.

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Mailing list is maintained manually

The efficiency of automating is offset by the manual processes it creates. User ID is the key driving the data, but the intended recipient might not even be an active user. The system automatically deactivates any user who has not logged in for 90 days as a security feature. This requires our client services team and a developer to manually verify the mailing list every month. Reactivating that user is also manual, requiring the direct intervention of a human.

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Result

Familiar but fresh

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Iterate

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Observe user response and proceed slowly

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Design next phase

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