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MakingMountainsofDataRewardingtoRoam:RoambileadsasetoflessonsinwranglingbigdatafromtheDesignforExperienceawards|UXMagazine

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ARTICLENO.1243MAY22,2014

Making Mountains of Data Rewarding to

Roam

Roambi leads a set of lessons in wrangling big data from

the Design for Experience awards
by UXMagazineStaff

Heresafunrabbitholetotumbledown:GoogleHowmuchdataisthereinthe
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worldandwindthroughtheresults.TheDailyMailframesananswernicelyinanarticle
thatswelloverayearoldnow:Thereissomuchdatastoredintheworldthatwemayrunoutof
waystoquantifyit.
AnotherarticlethatcomesupfromPhys.orgstatesthat:humankindisabletostoreatleast295
exabytesofinformation.(Yes,that'sanumberwith20zeroesinit.)Putanotherway,ifasingle
starisabitofinformation,that'sagalaxyofinformationforeverypersonintheworld.
Whoa.
Whilethemassivenessofallthisdatabogglesthemindwithease,thegranularityofitisequally
staggeringwhenyouconsidertheindividualsourcesofthestuff.Everyinteractionthateveryuser
haswithanypieceoftechnologyproducesmoreofit,andaspeoplearebecomingmorecomfortable
using technology andmorereliantontheinformationitprovides,theywanttousemoreofthatdata
insimpleandrewardingways.
Dataisprobablythemostintimidatingtypeofcontentformostendusersoutsideofanalyststo
engagewith,saysQuintonAlsbury,CoFounderandPresidentofProductInnovationatRoambi,the
winneroftheDesignforExperienceawardinBringingOrdertoBigData.Providinguserswitha
simpleandengagingexperiencethatpresentstheinformationinanaestheticallypleasantwayand
thathelpsguidethemthroughhowtheyshouldinterpretitviaahighlyinteractiveUIcan
dramaticallyimprovetheirconfidence.Veryoften,youfindthatoncethisaha!momenthappensfor
users,theybeginclamoringformoreandmoreinformation.
Toprovideuserswithmoreofthoseahamoments,Roambihasdesignedaninterfacethatmakes
iteasierto understandandexploretheirdata ,buildingalevelofcomfortthatallowsthemto
incrementallyprocessmoresophisticateddata.Naturally,theproliferationof mobiledevices has
playedabigpartinhowRoambihasdevelopedtheirsolutions.
Mobiledevicesthemselvesarebecomingtheprimaryaccesspointforinformationbecauseitcanbe
leveragedbyusersinthemomentandincontext,Alsburysays.WedesignedandbuiltRoambi
explicitlytoprovidethatinstant,highlyinteractive,mobilecentricexperience,whichaffectseverything
thatwedointheproductandwillcontinuetobuildfortheinevitablemobilefuture.

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03:30

Asmoremobiledevicesentertheworld,theygeneratemoreandmoredatathatneedstobe
understood,analyzed,presented,andconsumed.So,whileRoambiistryingtoprovidearewarding
dataexperienceonmobiledevices,theyarealsodesigninginresponsetothecontinueddataboom.
Wethinkofdataascontent,nodifferentthanclassicunstructuredformatslikevideo,images,copy,
etc.,saysAlsbury.Throughouthistory,differenttypesofcontentandthemediumsusedtocapture
andpresentithavedominatedtheculturebothinbusinessandingeneral.Webelievethatdatais
quicklybecomingtheprimarycontentofthe21stcentury,sothereisahugeopportunitytocreatethe
toolsandthemediumtohelppeopleinteractwithit.

Dataisquicklybecomingtheprimarycontentofthe21stcentury

tweetthis

Alsburynotesthatadvertisingandmediaagenciesarebuildingdataservicesdivisionstoprovide
theirclientswithrichexperiencesofdata,rightalongsideoftheclassiccreativedivisionsinweb,
print,andvideo.Ibelievetherewillbeawholenewcreativeclassthatformsaroundtakingthe
massiveamountsofdatathatarebeinggenerated,andhelpingtransformitintosomethingthatisas
easytoengagewithasvideo.Roambisultimategoalistobethetoolsetforthatnewclass.

We Need Smart Data in the Medical Sector

AfinalistintheBringingOrdertoBigDatacategory,FjordcreatedtheSMARTpediatricgrowthchart
inanefforttochangethewaythatthedataforachildsdevelopmentisinterpreted.Whathas
traditionallyamountedtodoctorsplottingpointsandextrapolatinginsightstookyearsofexperience
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tounderstandandwasnearlyindecipherabletoaparentornonprofessional.
Acollaborativeeffortbetweendoctorsanddesignersledtothedevelopmentofadashboardthat
allowspractitionerstovisualizeachildsdevelopmentalhealthpatterns,whilealsoprovidingparents
withawaytomoreeasilyunderstandthehealth,wellness,andprogressionoftheirchild.Lookingat
themassiveopportunitiestousedataintelligentlytotransformthehealthcareindustryandhealth
managementforpeople,Fjordpointsouttwobigshifts.
1. Theshiftfromreactivetoproactivetreatmentofadisease.Thiscanmoveusfromasocietythatis
focusedontreatinganexistingdiseasetodetectionandpreventionofdisease.
2. Theshiftfrompopulationbased,lowestcommondenominatorrecommendations,tomoreprecise
andindividualizedsolutions.
Healthcaresystems,inbothemerginganddevelopednations,arestrainedbyreactivehealthcare
solutions:itsaveryexpensiveapproachwhichputsfinancialburdenonpeopleandsociety,andalso
reducespeoplesqualityoflifeoverpreventivetreatments,saysFjordsCEO,OlofSchybergson.
Withtheabilitytoharnessdatawhethergenetic,biological,lifestyle,oracombinationwecan
enablepeopleandtheirhealthcareproviderstoforeseeandpreventtheonsetofdiseaseandother
complications.

SchybergsonpointstotheQuantifiedSelfmovement,whichhasimprovedlevelsofdiseasedetection
butnotesthat,currently,datahasnotyetallowedustodiagnoseandtreatdisease.Becauseof
regulationsandlongheldapproachesandpracticesinthehealthcareindustry,themoveto
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connectingthosethreephasesisgoingtobeamassiveundertakingandwilltakesometime,
Schybergsonsays.But,theconsumerizationofhealthcareiswellunderway.Infact,Dr.EricTopol,
directoroftheScrippsTranslationalScienceInstitute,hassaid,thesedays,Imactuallyprescribinga
lotmoreappsthanIammedications.

Making Public Sector Data Pretty

Thegovernmenthaslongbeenapurveyorandcollectorofdata,thoughitisntoftenpresentedin
compellingways.BrightPointConsulting,anotherfinalistinthiscategory,broughtsomebeautyand
ordertodatasurroundingthefederalbudget,politicalinfluence,andtheU.S.tradedeficitthrougha
seriesofinteractivedatavisualizations.

TheU.S.TradeDeficit(clickforinteractiveversion)
Despitethegracehiscompanywasabletobringtothesedatasets,ManagingDirectorThomas
Gonzalezsaysheseestheinjectionofmoretrackingandanalyticproductsintotheconsumermarket
creatingmoreconfusioninthepublicsector,andleadingtomorecustomizedvisualizationsolutions.

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Eachorganizationhasitsownspecificneedsanduseforbigdatathatisoftenhardtocaptureand
encapsulateinofftheshelfanalyticsandtooling,Gonzalezsays,addingthattheincreaseddemand
foranalyticsanddatavisualizationinthemobilemarketmeansthatmorecompaniesarelookingto
takedatavisualizationoffthedesktopandadaptittothemobileformfactors.Theincreasedneed
foruserexperiencedesignbecomesparamountinnotonlyadaptingtothemobileinteraction
experiencebutalsofindingbetterwaysforthesenewinteractionmodelstoempowertheuserwith
relevantdata.

Turning Customer Data into Actionable Insight

TheteamatSAPConsumerInsights365gathersandaggregates14billiondatapointsperday,
aggregatingcustomerprofileinformationandtransactionsofmobilecallinganddata,whichcreates
thesizablechallengeoforganizingthedataintomeaningfulstructuresandvisualizationsfora
professionalanalyst.Theproducthashadabigimpactonthemarketingindustry,enablinganalysts
tomakeinsightsbasedoffaccuratecontinuousdataratherthansnapshots,helpingenterprise
professionalsunderstandconsumerpreferences.
Alsoafinalistinthiscategory,SAPseesthecontinuedgrowthinthemobilemarketandthe
emergenceofwearabletechnologyastrendsthatfitverywellintotheircurrentandfutureprojects,
employinguserexperiencedesigntohelphumanbeingsmakesenseofbigdata,anddesigning
betterapplicationsutilizingwearable,mobiletechnology,andsmartmetering(a.k.a.theinternetof
things).

Theprevalenceofwearableandmobiledevicesintheconsumermarketpresenthugeopportunities
forbusiness,saysHeadofStrategicDesignServicesJanakiKumar.Businesseshaveaccesstoa
lotmorequalitativeandquantitativeinformationabouttheircustomers,allowingthemtolearnmore
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abouttheircustomersbuyinghabitsandpreferences.Businessesthatlearntoharnessthis
knowledgeandmakeinformeddecisionswillhaveacompetitiveedge.
Kumarnotesthat,atthesametime,allofthisdataneedstobeanalyzedbyhumanbeingswithinan
organization,makingitimportanttopresenttheinformationinawaythatisnotoverwhelmingandwill
helpthemmakegooddecisions.
Thisisthechallengefacingbusinessinterfacestoday,andwillbecomemoresointhefuture.

More Cutting-Edge Data Wranglers

Therewereothernotableapplicationsinthecontestfromteamstakingdifferentapproachesto
makingsenseofallthisdata:
Adynamicserviceforsearchingsocialmedia,Thriveistryingtoconquerbigdatainsmallsteps,
focusingonansweringonequestionfirst,andthenthenext.SiSenseenablesbusinessuserswho
arenttechfocusedtoanalyzeandvisualizegrowingdatasetsfromavastpoolofstructuredand
unstructureddatasourcesbycombiningabeautifulfrontendwithapowerfulbackend.Partnering
withtheTerrestrialEcosystemResearchNetworkanddevelopmentpartnerQCIF,PeakUsability
createdadatadiscoveryportalforscientiststocollect,contribute,store,share,andintegrate
scientificdatafrommultiplefacilitiesanddatabasesacrossAustralia.Infor|Hook&Loopcreateda
mobilesalesapplicationbasedondatavisualizationstartingwiththeideaofdatademocratization.
WorkingwiththegovernmentinBritishColumbia,FCVInteractiveturnedagoldmineofdata,some
ofitopenandaccessible,butsomeofitstilllockedupinanimpenetrablestatisticswebsite,intoa
navigable,interactivejobssite.AleaddesigneratShadowbox,AdiFleishersawbigdataasaportal
forprovingthevalidityofAstrology.Mad*PowcreatedatrioofCorvixapplicationsallowingusersto
explorepublichealthstatisticsinIndiaandSaudiArabia.DelvinausedtheirAskingCanadiansonline
researchcommunitytohelppresentdatainawaythatwouldcutthroughtheclutterandthenoise.
Nostrangertoloadsofdata,MailChimphasdevelopedsystemsforstreamingalldatatoacentral
location,soseparateteamscansynthesizetheirspecificprojectstocompanywideknowledge.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

UXMagazineStaff
UXMagazinewascreatedtobeacentral,onestopresourceforeverythingrelated
touserexperience.Ourprimarygoalistoprovideasteadystreamofcurrent,
informative,andcredibleinformationaboutUXandrelatedfieldstoenhancethe
professionalandcreativelivesofUXpractitionersandthoseexploringthefield.
Ourcontentisdrivenandcreatedbyanimpressiverosterofexperienced
professionalswhoworkinallareasofUXandcoverthefieldfromdiverseangles
andperspectives.
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Comments
DavidThorn
January12,2015
Unfortunately,theTheU.S.TradeDeficit(clickforinteractiveversion)looksnicebutthecountry
labelsareallovertheplaceshame

reply
MurielMorNaim
July6,2014
YoumightcheckoutSisenseproduct
http://www.sisense.com/demo/
Thethingi'vebeenworkingonforthepast10monthswithmycrew.
Arevolutionarybigdataproduct(thatwentthroughamassiveUXshiftlately).
GreatarticleBtw.

reply
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MakingMountainsofDataRewardingtoRoam:RoambileadsasetoflessonsinwranglingbigdatafromtheDesignforExperienceawards|UXMagazine

alexzhu
May23,2014
SAPConsumerInsightslooksinteresting!wouldlovetofindmoredetailsaboutit.
reply

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