Immersive
Data Wall
Data Visualization, 2017/18
Autodesk created and installed an immersive visualization display called the ‘Data Wall'. The visualization was meant to create a more data-driven environment within the internal global community. However, the display did not incite the action or inspiration it originally had set out to accomplish. I lead the effort with a team of data engineers and data scientists in re-designing and re-developing the 'Data Wall' to create a more engaging experience. I conducted user research, implemented the visual designs, and developed the application prototype.
Group in Customer Success Organization discussing visualization
Problem
Autodesk has begun to focus its efforts on digitization and becoming a data-driven company. We have looked to shift our data culture in various ways. The 'Data Wall'--an immersive floor-to-ceiling display--has sought to address this issue by showcasing all our data. Problem is, we built before we knew what or why to build, and the result was a long series of graphs rather than a narrative.
Low engagement level with the current Data Wall when we surveyed over 200 employees from across the company
user research
Using a variety of research methodologies (contextual think-alouds, interviews, and surveying) our team looked to build actionable insights for both current and future-state experiences in three key areas: 1) usefulness and action, 2) closeness to customers, and 3) collaboration.
Using rose-thorn-bud and clustering design-thinking exercises, we created emerging themes to guide our design system and information architecture.
key findings
Keeping our three objectives in mind, we found that our users needed to
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(1) Usefulness and Action -- Understand different types of information at varying levels of granularity without feeling overwhelmed
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(2) Closeness to Customers -- Bridge the gap between employee and customer through personalization and by avoiding metrics which are abstracted away from employees’ daily work
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(3) Collaboration -- Find common meaning in our business and customers by avoiding on opaque statistics and focusing on growth
Our proposal to restructure the information architecture from a single global view to a channel-focused system based on product granularity and content type
prototyping & solution
With an architecture and new experience built out, we moved onto the design and prototyping phase for two key looks at the product level--'Product Health' and 'Who are our customers'. For every data visualization component I created, I attempted to rethink how the experience would like in 3 more ways. I started with pen & paper until moving into digital representation. The 'Product Health' visualization uses warm bold colors to convey safety. The 'Who are our customers' visualization uses a variety of primary and complementary colors to convey fun and whimsical.
Snapshots of paper prototyping before high-fidelity mockups
High-fidelity mock-up of the 'Product Health' visualization
High-fidelity mock-up of the 'Who are our customers' visualization