Objective
To improve the data analysis and visualization experience for dashboard creators and consumers by introducing the Natural Language Insights feature in IBM Cognos Analytics 11.2.4.
Background
Prior to the release of IBM Cognos Analytics 11.2.4, dashboard creators had to manually identify and communicate meaningful insights and trends in their data to other users. This process was time-consuming and prone to errors, as it required the dashboard creator to constantly update insights as the data changed.
Solution
IBM Cognos Analytics 11.2.4 introduced the Natural Language Insights feature, which automatically generates insights based on the data in a visualization. These insights are presented in natural language and can use data from outside the visualization to draw conclusions and highlight key drivers or underlying causes. Dashboard creators can mark their favourite insights and choose the order in which they are displayed to other users. Consumers can see these favourited insights as well as up to three additional insights suggested by Cognos Analytics.
My Contribution
As a bridge between design and development, I played a key role in the implementation of the Natural Language Insights feature. I created high fidelity designs and prototypes and led multiple design meetings with cross-discipline stakeholders to ensure that the feature met the needs and expectations of both dashboard creators and consumers. I worked closely with the development team to ensure that the feature was intuitive and easy to use, and I provided guidance and feedback throughout the development process.
Project Stakeholders
- Senior Offering Manager
- Software Development Managers
- Senior Technical Staff Member
- UX Designers
- Software Developers
- Quality Analyst
Created Sketches for Narrative Insight Cards
Created Screen Designs Based on User Stories
Created Hifi Designs & Flows
Advised on Accessibility
Advised on UI Challenges
Prototyped Intended Interactions for Developers
Results
The Natural Language Insights feature has greatly improved the data analysis and visualization experience for both dashboard creators and consumers. Dashboard creators can now easily visualize and share insights with other users, saving time and reducing the risk of errors. Consumers can easily access and understand the insights presented by the dashboard creator, ensuring consistency in information sharing and highlighting the most important points. Overall, the Natural Language Insights feature has significantly enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of data analysis and visualization in IBM Cognos Analytics.
Stakeholder Testimonials
Jared, thank you for the extra effort you put in during the CNS development cycle. The collaboration between you and Victor was exceptional and allowed us to cut our turn around time drastically, ensuring we have a very clean and successful offering for our users. Your designs, as well as your ability to listen, accept feedback, and pivot on the fly has made for a great collaborative project. Amazing work!
– Shawn Cross – Software Manager
It was a pleasure working with you on the CNS project. I look forward to phase 2 and the new challenges ahead. For phase 1 of the CNS project, I would like to applaud your attention to design details. There were a lot of ideas that were brought up in terms of delivering the best user experience. Most of the ideas were tested out and made it to production and for the few that didn’t, we learned valuable lessons there. I like how you tackled problems head-on! You clearly showed initiative by suggesting some solutions to some development problems, for example, the scrolling issue.
You were very proactive in setting up meetings to identify issues before the broader team caught on. This accelerated development to fix problems.
– Victor Eberechi – Software Developer