A couple weeks ago there was a post about mashups and it triggered a discussion here at Klipfolio about the value of having access to business intelligence information from multiple sources in one location. It is more than just having everything at your fingertips without spending the time and bandwidth* for going to multiple places, although that is part of it.
Most enterprise applications come with some form of a dashboard. While there is some customization available, most of the time users keep the dashboards in the default configuration. And each application presents the data in a different way and style. Two dashboards presenting the same information might convey them in completely different ways using different visuals. Likewise, two dashboards from two different enterprise applications will almost certainly not have consistent user interfaces, let alone user manuals.
Two dashboards using different charts, colors, and threshold values
By pulling all the information into one location the opportunity exists to have a consistent user interface for all of the data that is being accessed. Not only is this is critical for ensuring that informed decision making is taking place, but it reduces time spent searching for the information, as well as learning the various systems.
Here is another example. How many times have you seen something formatted in a specific way that skews your perception of it? Think of a graph where the scale is extremely large or small. This can make the perception of the data much different than it really is.
Two graphs with the same information but very different scales skewing the perception
Dashboards in applications operate in the same way. If the data from different sources are not compared properly it will lead to assumptions and potentially false decision making. And even being aware of the differences, it takes effort to combine them into a consolidated source to provide a realistic view, not to mention the added complexity of performing additional analysis on the data once it has been formatted.
As you know, Klipfolio Dashboard is a platform that pulls data from different sources and gives it a consistent look and feel. More importantly it presents a consistent baseline so that a proper analysis can be performed. Instead of trying to understand the different colors and graphics used by multiple enterprise applications, dashboards, and other reporting software, it is simplicity and consistency that really helps users understand their KPIs.
* Look for an upcoming study on bandwidth consumption to compare receiving data with Klipfolio Dashboard to visiting individual sites to access the same information. Sneak peak: Klipfolio Dashboard uses about 4.9 times less bandwidth compared to typical web application page queries.
