Mobile BI Design Framework: Making the Case for Small

In mobile business intelligence (BI) design, the “case for small” stems from the need to effectively manage performance and response time for mobile experiences. The concept has nothing to do with smaller screens or device sizes. Instead, it deals with the delivery of the content onto those screens.

One of the common denominators of all mobile user experiences deals with what I call the “patience factor.” Mobile users tend to be less patient about performance and response time than PC users, since they’re on the go with less time to spare.

5 Signs of a Successful Mobile BI Initiative

When it comes to defining successfor most technology projects with user rollouts, such as mobile business intelligence (BI), adoption is the key indicator of success. The degree to which users embrace the solution depends on a variety of factors. Some may be highly visible and easily measurable. Others may be less so and may require interpretation. Moreover, additional measurements such as cost reduction or productivity improvements contribute to the overall success criteria.

Data is a Strategic Marketing Asset

In business, better-informed decisions often start with a strong appetite for data, followed by a healthy dose of skepticism for it. If available, our collective insight becomes the guiding light for our decisions enhanced by data. In the absence of it—when we are left to decide by ourselves—we seek wisdom in our own experiences to fill the void where we can’t find or rely on data.

Mobile BI Design Framework: Performance with a User Focus

When we discuss performance in mobile business intelligence (BI), we often talk about two components: response time and availability. I discussed the response time in detail in a previous blog. Today, I want to expand on availability.

Availability is sometimes referred to as “up time,” but it goes beyond that. We need to manage performance with a user focus to make sure our priorities support business execution, not hinder it.

Managing performance of any technical solution is a tricky business and mobile BI is no different. We primarily deal with two elements: What we can manage and what may be out of our control. To use a tennis analogy, we should always focus our energy on the former to make sure we can eliminate unforced errors.

Mobile BI Design Framework: The Art of Support

When it comes to supporting mobile business intelligence (BI) implementations, what we do after we go live is as critical as what we do before. Technology support is art as much as it is science. If you add to the mix global deployments, remote access, language and cultural barriers, we face a daunting task especially when supported by virtual teams without on-site personnel. Two key elements should guide your approach: quickly identify the root cause for immediate relief and put in place safeguards to prevent future occurrences.

Mobile BI Design Framework: Impact and Utility

In mobile business intelligence (BI) design, two elements are always in play. I refer to them as “utility” (not to be confused with utility in economics) and “impact.” At the micro level, they influence directly how we develop our mobile assets (reports, dashboards) in order to effectively deliver actionable insight through the mobile user interface and experience. At the macro level, they influence how we designand execute our mobile BI strategy.

Everyday BI: My Stocks

In the last installment of this series, I described the three key steps that everyday business intelligence (BI) users typically go through when they consume data: Observation, Perspective, and Insight. These steps often take place in an ad-hoc manner without the same degree of precision and requirements that one expects in corporate BI environments. Nevertheless, everyday BI users follow a similar process to achieve the same end goal—insight through data for better-informeddecisions.