2 Attributes of Effective Business Intelligence
Face it: most corporate business intelligence solutions are way too complicated for the average user to use effectively. As a result of this, business intelligence tends to be used exclusively by the “techie” members of staff, which negates the purpose of it. The fact is, business intelligence is supposed to enable employees of all levels to make informed business decisions and give them direct access to data mining and analysis functions. If this isn’t happening, then you’re not really harnessing the full power of business intelligence.
Business intelligence needs to possess certain attributes in order to be accessible to the wider pool of employees, and should have a useable user interface to boot. Design considerations are the subject of much debate, but as experts in the field of business intelligence we have identified some key traits that we believe a business intelligence solution should possess.
Data should be well organized, useable and functional
A cleaner and more organized dashboard is far more intuitive than a messy one. Without any messing around, the user should be easily able to identify the various features that the dashboard offers and can better handle the data. Drill-down functionality is essential and means that some aspects of the data don’t need to be present on the screen unless the user requires it to be. Different flexible dashboards provide different functionalities for the users, with certain dashboards only being presented for certain tasks. When all functions and data are served up front, this can be overwhelming for the user.
Sometimes, the look is everything.
We’re not shallow, but we do understand that a visually compelling business intelligence solution tends to be more flexible than those that aren’t. Visual data dashboards tend to engage their users and maintain their interest. If business intelligence is going to be user focused, then it needs to be visually appealing too. When users are interested, they are far more likely to explore the interface and learn new things.
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