Information visualisation is here to stay, and is pursued strongly in the scientific, engineering and software development arenas. Management is applying it across business sectors in the form of dashboards of varying complexity, says visual intelligence solutions developer Leaderboard`s CEO, Gary Cook.
He maintains that, as the business value of visualisation is realised, adoption will continue to increase, especially since top-level management is driving it.
"It is set to become a strategic must-have tool on the desks of professionals and information workers to inform decision-making, planning and critical thinking," he says.
Data visualisation, Cook notes, is a business tool that allows the user to zoom in or out, pan and monitor, as well as manipulate data in various formats from different sources in an easy-to-comprehend, customisable visual format that includes gauges, graphs, maps, scoreboards, key performance indicators and more.
The primary reason for the growing interest in visualisation is the wide availability of new low-cost technology that allows executive, managerial and reporting staff to obtain an overview of business operations and performance, as well as monitor the meeting of strategic objectives within set timelines.
Business intelligence
Cook says corporates have been delayed in their discovery of information visualisation, being reliant on business intelligence (BI) applications with reporting that features data presented in rows and figures. However, BI applications are now starting to incorporate dashboarding tools.
"Business executives require select representation of relevant information and their expectations of BI to deliver this functionality often fall short. This is often exacerbated by the fact that one cannot report on data that doesn`t reside within the BI system," he explains.
For years, corporates have been structuring the data they collect, Cook says, and much of it is still in silos, which are often defined by the type of data they contain. With the myriad of BI and enterprise applications catering for specific employee groups, it has become harder to obtain or create a report in a single format.
"Time is the deciding factor regarding how much information can be viewed and absorbed to inform decision-making. It`s a difficult knot to untie, but one that companies are discovering can be untangled with data visualisation.
Sensitisation to visuals
"Experimentation with visual communication as a business tool has only just begun in earnest. Driving acceptance is the increased sensitisation to visuals. This is seen in the growing use of the Internet and e-mail in the workplace, and advances in personal communications technologies, such as cellphones, now standard issue with a camera, video, WWW, conferencing and wireless capabilities," Cook points out.
He adds that visualisation of data, however, requires the application of best practices when defining and designing a dashboard to ensure the user derives the most value out of the format. The ideal is to be able to gain an overview of the topic under investigation, including the factors that will impact outcomes.
"With all the right tools now at their disposal, users must still bear in mind that only appropriately designed diagrams can successfully promote greater comprehension or insight. Visualisation has to successfully guide the viewer to engage in the cognitive processes essential for comprehension."
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