Making light work of data- improving the UX of data rich interfaces- UX Australia

1

SM

S M

anag

emen

t & T

echnolo

gy

or.. Making light work of data

Stephen Hall National Lead, Web Strategy & Information Architecture

28 August 2009

Improving the UX of data rich interfaces

2

Definitions

Data Rich

Discrete, objective facts about a thing

or event

Heavy

Full of possibility

Interface…the means by which users interact with a

system

3

Qualification & a story

UX Australia peer reviews – earnest pleas:“Focus on real world stuff, please”

But first – let’s talk about Knowledge Management

“This subject is too big”

What this presentation is:• About SMS’s experience over numerous projects….• …involving presentation of sets of data to existing or new audiences….• ….that sought to bring out the potential of the data to satisfy both user and client needs

And what this presentation is not:• We don’t pretend to be expert in all aspects of the UX of data presentation• These were real world projects, with constraints- not necessarily bleeding edge• What I can show in 45 minutes is necessarily limited

4

The classic hierarchy

Discrete, objective facts about a thing or event

Data with relevance & purpose

Information with experience, values, insights & context

5

The knowledge value chain

Value add Value add

Comprehensible Actionable

6

The knowledge value chain

Comprehensible Actionable

The 5 Cs:

•Condensation•Contextualisation•Calculation•Correction•Categorisation

The 5 Cs:

•Condensation•Contextualisation•Calculation•Correction•Categorisation

The 4 Cs:

•Conversation•Connection•Consequences•Comparison

The 4 Cs:

•Conversation•Connection•Consequences•Comparison

7

Condensation

Comprehensible

Intr

oduc

tory

, hig

h

leve

l

Exp

lana

tory

, som

e

deta

il

Spe

cific

, det

aile

d

Pre

cise

, tec

hnic

al

Feeds into

Feeds into

Feeds into

Information richness

Eg: Flyer, brochure, top level web page

Eg: Booklet, 2nd level web page

Eg: Book, lower level web page

Eg: Manual, lowest level web page

Feeds into

Feeds into

Feeds into

Low

High

Intr

oduc

tory

, hig

h

leve

l

Exp

lana

tory

, som

e

deta

il

Spe

cific

, det

aile

d

Pre

cise

, tec

hnic

al

Feeds into

Feeds into

Feeds into

Information richness

Eg: Flyer, brochure, top level web page

Eg: Booklet, 2nd level web page

Eg: Book, lower level web page

Eg: Manual, lowest level web page

Feeds into

Feeds into

Feeds into

Low

High

8

Contextualisation

Comprehensible

9

Calculation

Comprehensible

10

Correction

Comprehensible

11

Categorisation

Comprehensible

Exposed structureExposed structure

Exposed structureExposed structure

Exposed structureExposed structure

Self streamingSelf streaming

12

Conversation

Actionable

13

Connection

Actionable

Linking data setsLinking data sets

14

Consequences

Actionable

15

Comparison

Actionable

Exposing relative valuesExposing relative values

User control over criteriaUser control over criteria

16

The overall UX design goal

To reveal or enable Meaning

Inherent in the data- structure, themes

Inherent in the data- structure, themes

Emerging through meta-information

Emerging through meta-information Emerging over timeEmerging over time

Emerging through juxtaposition

Emerging through juxtaposition

Not imposed!

17

Of course meaning depends..

…on where you’re coming from

18

Behaviours & circumstances

Information seeking behaviour

Known itemKnown itemExploratoryExploratory

Don’t know..Don’t know..Re-findingRe-finding

Circumstances

Novice

Exp

ert

Nov

ice

Expert

SIT

E

SUBJECT MATTER

Multiple, parallel ways for meaning to be revealed

Search, browse, fuzzy search, contextual discovery, non-preferred terms, personalisation, notifications, preference setting, export, best bets, top item showcase……

Fuzzy search, contextual help, tool tips, personalisation, preference setting, notifications, non-preferred terms, cookies, best bets

19

Real world examples- overview

593pages

20

Real world examples- overview

GroceryChoice

training.gov.au

New site coming

New site coming

Some themes:

•Structure

•Content

•Tools

•Juxtaposition

•Connection

•Visualisation

..for bringing out meaning

21

Structure

Find a subset quicklyFind a subset quickly

Expose structureExpose structure

Create your own structure

Create your own structure

Discover unsought infoDiscover unsought info

Find a subset quicklyFind a subset quickly

Expose structureExpose structure

22

Content access

Clarity of purposeClarity of purpose

Self streaming

Self streaming

Self eliminationSelf eliminationAnticipated needsAnticipated needs

Non-preferred termsNon-preferred termsContextual supportContextual support

Information scentsInformation scents

ForgivenessForgiveness

“Aquatic invertebrates”

“Edible fats”

23

Tools

Decision supportDecision support

Be notifiedBe notified

Save stuffSave stuff

Personalise the viewPersonalise the view

Take stuff awayTake stuff away

ContributeContribute

24

Juxtaposition & connection

Side by side version comparisonSide by side version comparison

Juxtaposition of different data setsJuxtaposition of different data sets

25

Visual Design

Visual wayfinding systemVisual wayfinding system

Visual wayfinding systemVisual wayfinding system

Jon Hicks- Icons for interaction

Beware of unintended consequences!Beware of unintended consequences!

26

Visualisation

http

://w

ww

.info

rmat

ioni

sbea

utifu

l.net

/

27

The government data wave

The cathedral vs the bazaarThe cathedral vs the bazaar

28

The govt data wave..

29

When doesn’t this work?

VolumeVolume ComplexityComplexitye.g. Open Source Intelligence

Autonomy IDOL- revealing structure in unstructured data

Disambiguation of concepts

Faceted results Dynamic multi-dimensional presentation

30

When doesn’t this work?

VolumeVolume ComplexityComplexitye.g. Open Source Intelligence

Autonomy IDOL- revealing structure in unstructured data

‘Heat’ in data clustersVideo text analysis

31

When doesn’t this work?

VolumeVolume ComplexityComplexitye.g. Open Source Intelligence

Palantir- revealing structure in unstructured data

Entity extraction from multiple data streams

Connecting entities to find the bad guys

32

Digressions - tools

One pair of licences to give away. Is it under your seat?

Thanks, guysThanks, guys

33

Takeaways

Comprehensible Actionable

To reveal or enable Meaning

The 5 Cs:

•Condensation•Contextualisation•Calculation•Correction•Categorisation

The 5 Cs:

•Condensation•Contextualisation•Calculation•Correction•Categorisation

The 4 Cs:

•Conversation•Connection•Consequences•Comparison

The 4 Cs:

•Conversation•Connection•Consequences•Comparison

34

Questions?