How Mobile Impacts Real-Time Decision Making & Visualization

Jesse BeaumontShinobiControls

Why Make Decisions?

They are a way to drive a course of action towards achieving our goals

Quality of Decisions

Outcomes are the measure; not the decisions themselves

For Example…

Data informs decisions

Stack the odds!

Real-Time Decisions

Real-time decision making requires real-time data access

What is Mobile?

Mobile Not So Much

Mobile Revolution

• Portable• Connected• Instant Access?• Personalized?• Touch Enabled?

Mobile Has Changed The World

Images reproduced with permission from :: Suwaif:: and David Boyle

Evolution of Mobile

• Lower barrier to entry• Lower “fear factor”• End user experience feels safe• Everyone’s a digital explorer now!

Mobile Expectations

Users now expect much more:• Constant availability• Immediate response to touch• Intuitive behavior

How Does Mobile Help?

• Portable• Connected• Instant Access?• Personalized?• Touch Enabled?

John Arbuthnot – The Table

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Christenings in London by Year

Male Female

John Arbuthnot – The Chart

Start of English Civil War

Plague

Smallpox

?

The Original Copy & Paste?

Why Data Visualization?Data visualization is designed to:

• Make data easily digestible and reach conclusions quickly

• Provide context for raw data

Sounds ideal for real-time decision making!

Data Visualization Spectrum

Presentation(low skills requirement)

Exploration(high skills requirement)

Mobile Opportunity

User comfort with mobile means a shift on the data visualization spectrum is

possible

Data Visualization For Real-Time

• Need to digest data quickly to make decisions quickly

• Poor Visualizations lead to:– Poor decisions; or– Slow decisions

Information Overload

• Form factor is a factor • Smaller screens:

– Require more focused information– Shorter user journeys

• Larger screens are better for exploration

Example

Not. Enough. Pixels.

• Minimize chrome– Embed interaction in context – Remember discoverability

• Semantic zoom / drill down• Be focused – don’t try to do too much

on each screen

Examples

Who Let the Designers Out?

• Can help to:– Provide natural feel– Meet expectation– Aid discoverability

• Beware: can detract from the content

Examples

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What Chart?!?

Pick the right chart type for your data!

Oh Pie Oh Pie?

• Pies are ok for:– Showing parts of a whole– Indicating one dominant category

• Very hard to compare slice sizes or show approximate values

Examples

Sales By Country

USAUKCanadaAustraliaOther

USA UK Canada Australia Other0

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Sales By CountrySales By Country

USAUKCanadaAustraliaOther

Choosing the Wrong Colors

• Consider accessibility & mediums (e.g. color blindness, printing, etc.)

• Increase saturation to stand out• Consider avoiding biased colors• Colors are a key tool for getting the

message across

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Conclusions

Mobile offers a huge opportunity for improving our decision making

Making it happen requires care and skill!

ShinobiControlsOur UI controls make some of this

stuff easier…

Thanks For Listening!

www.shinobicontrols.com@ShinobiControls

jbeaumont@shinobicontrols.com

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