CASE STUDY
Making Data Analyses User-Friendly for Nielsen IQ
Client
Nielsen IQ, a data and analytics firm with operations in 90+ countries.
Solution
Design a curated report library with actionable recommendations for common business questions.
​
​Once launched, the product went from 0 to 50k users in 12 months.
Problem
How might we expand the accessibility of data reporting for non-experts?
My Role
I was the lead designer, working closely with a design manager and a product owner over three months.
Delivery Overview
Made complex analytic paths accessible
Non-data analysts can locate actionable data through premade report packages, sorting by common business questions.
Progressive disclosure
Users identified cognitive load and system intelligibility as major problems during research, so we simplified the reporting process according to their mental model.
Hick's Law: break complex tasks into smaller steps
We partnered with subject matter experts and end users to identify the most essential options.
Cross-functional collaboration
I worked closely with Karolina Roszel, the product owner, throughout the process to understand key business drivers and domain knowledge.
Merged related file formats in a common repository
Previously, saved and non-saved files were separated in different sections, stressing the user's working memory and interrupting flow states
Contextual framing for less advanced users
This feature was designed for non-experts without experience wrangling raw data, so we communicated context through groupings, icons, and hierarchy.
Easy customization
Users can aggregate reports from separate use-case groupings in order to address unique challenges.
Combine previously separated report types
We found that users followed inquiries across saved and non-saved reports, so we allowed them to be consolidated in presentation-like flows.
Discovery
Auditing the existing design
The first thing that I did was review the platform's existing design, which was already in production. I utilized established usability heuristics – reviewing usability, findability, hierarchy, and the like – to determine growth areas in the product, including UI inconsistencies and confusing interaction patterns.
Choose a Template before my redesign
Note that the user isn't being guided toward their desired outcome; if they don't already know where to find the data they are looking for, the system doesn't help them out.
First-round user interviews
After finishing the audit, I wrote interview questions so that the client Design Systems Lead and I could conduct interviews with representatives responsible for helping confused end-users find the information they need.
We found that the existing design was geared too much toward expert users, and not enough toward beginner and intermediate users, who make up a larger percentage of users, and range from C-suite executives to brand managers, category analysts, and price managers.
User flow for end-user happy path - view in high-resolution here
I enjoy creating flows like this to think through design problems with as much detail as possible. It helps me visualize edge-cases and encounter affordances and ramifications which hadn't already occurred to me.
Wireframing and Usability Testing
Iteration
In order to make the product easier to use for beginner and intermediate users, we created pre-defined collections of data analytics to be presented alongside the unbounded, searchable repository of all available information. If a user had a business question but they didn't know how to use the software to answer it, we had them covered.
Early wireframes
I experimented with different layout options in order to more obviously surface data dimensions that users care about. We worked with domain experts to create plug-and-play "presentations" of reports tailored to common business problems among our users. These presentations collected groups of reports specifically relevant for answering questions that we know users cared about.
Usability testing
We moved into testing with real client users in order to see how the designs could be further improved, and to make sure we were heading in the right-direction. I created the prototype, testing scenario, and wrote the questions for the script used in the interviews.
Usability testing scenario
In order to make sure that our functionality made sense to users, we simulated real-life business situations with the prototype. We wanted to see if the designs aligned with their mental model.
Actionable insights
After transcribing the usability sessions and identifying insights regarding user needs and pain points, I defined the next steps for improving the design.
The PL signed off on a reconstruction of the information architecture of the newly titled "Report Library"; a redefinition of its basic hierarchy and taxonomy in order to make the available options clearer; revamping of the creation of custom flows; the creation of a new card design for individual report types, and more.
Feedback
"
We weren't pretty impressed with [this product.] We were really, really impressed with it. I called our client lead and asked why we weren't on it now.
Senior Manager | Multinational Agriculture Corporation
"
I really like it. Beautifully visualized and clear. If I can do it, anyone can do it; from senior leadership to working group. Simple and clean, enables analytics. I just want to see more of it.
Chief Digital and Marketing Officer | Multinational Cosmetics Company
I had the pleasure of working with Alex for close to a year when our company hired his employer to help with UX designs. He’s a very talented UX designer who is great at listening to user needs and product vision to design effective product solutions. Alex delivers and is very reliable, not to mention he’s collaborative and pleasant to work with. I very much enjoyed working with Alex.
"
Karolina Roszel, Vice President, Product Leadership | Nielsen IQ
More case studies
Modernizing a Government Services Platform
Redesigned core functionality for a platform that serves hundreds of municipalities across the country.
Combining 15 Dataset-Specific Apps in a Single Platform
Designed a robust dashboard for a Nielsen IQ SAAS offering, from ideation to delivery.