User adoption for business intelligence is sitting stagnant at a measly 25% and has been for a couple of year now according to Stephen Swoyer\u2019s article based on Cindy Howson\u2019s research. Two areas that I feel contribute to this lack of user adoption are the learning curve that exists with some tools and the developer who is delivering BI content to users.<\/span><\/p>\n The first time my dad picked up my iPad he could get around with very little instruction. Does it surprise anyone that there are millions of iPads that have been sold to date? If a trained professional isn\u2019t the target audience for your \u201cwidget\u201d (i.e. anything from a toaster to a BI application) then it better be easy to use.\u00a0 How can you expect someone to use something if they are constantly frustrated because they can\u2019t use it efficiently?<\/p>\n Every product goes through a usability testing cycle whether it be a new car, a piece of software or a kitchen appliance. Do you want to know an instant sign of a well-developed product? Next time you buy something, pull it out of the box and start playing with it without reading the directions. Will you know all the advanced functionality? No, but if you can perform 75%-80% of the functions without the directions you are holding a winning product. If the product you are holding isn\u2019t intuitive, chances are it won\u2019t see a lot of use (unless it\u2019s something that you REALLY need to use like a medical device).<\/p>\n Business Intelligence should be no different. Any report, dashboard, or mobile application that is deployed should be so easy to use that it falls under the \u201cTriple Nickle Principle\u201d for user adoption. The Triple Nickle Principle is easy; if you can train a user who is 55 years old (or older) in 5 minutes or less, then you\u2019ve done your job well. So the next time you start developing anything that a user is going to be interfacing with, get their input and make sure it makes sense to them. If it doesn\u2019t make sense then they won\u2019t use it.<\/p>\n During a recent development cycle, I was working on some interactive reports and visualizations using SSRS. In talking with the user I asked him if a certain pattern for a guided drill down and navigation made sense. He looked at me as if that was the first time the question was ever asked of him and replied he \u201cwasn\u2019t sure\u201d. I walked him through the other options of the drill behavior until we came to a solution that made business sense. Which, for the record, was completely different then what the technical or logic path would have been had it been developed in a vacuum.<\/p>\n Here is a quick punch list of things to consider when thinking about usability:<\/p>\n Use of Color? If it\u2019s hard to read, then it\u2019s hard to use. Items to consider include contrast in colors, users who may be color blind and user monitor differences (it might look good on your development monitor, but you should view it in other environments as well.)<\/span> Logical Navigation? If you are moving between screens, does the click path make sense, and are the links obvious?<\/p>\n If it\u2019s a touch screen\/mobile app, are the buttons big enough to be easily touched without zooming in?<\/p>\n If it\u2019s a dashboard, do you have \u201cChart junk\u201d? If you don\u2019t need it to display the meaning of the data, then you don\u2019t need it. Period.<\/p>\n When all else fails, engage the user early in the wire framing of the application\/dashboard\/app.<\/p>\n These items are the basics, but with a little care and interaction with the user community you can find a happy balance between \u201ccool\u201d and usable.\u00a0 If you have other ideas, or principles for usability please leave a comment.
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\nText Size? Again, if the user can\u2019t read it, then it\u2019s no good. Not everyone runs their monitor at the highest or lowest resolutions.<\/p>\n