A user experience framework for business intelligence dashboards : an appreciative inquiry study within an agile software development environment

Abstract

In South Africa and globally, companies focusing on business optimisation and continuous improvement have embraced business intelligence for the purpose of decision-making as data are becoming more readily available. Companies recognise the need for, and importance of, user experience when interacting with the dashboards to assist users with decision-making and to enable users to take timely evidence-based actions. It is no longer sufficient only to support users in achieving their goals by employing basic usability principles; digital products need to provide an overall positive user experience to be considered successful. Numerous frameworks have been developed for the user experience of digital systems. However, with the literature emphasizing the importance of context, those user experience frameworks cannot be transferred to business intelligence. This dearth of evidence-based business intelligence specific user experience frameworks comprises the rationale for this study. The research methodology is comprised of mixed methods as this methodological paradigm aligns best with the pragmatist and appreciative inquiry research approach. The research design framework draws on the Affordance Theory, Logic Model and Agile software development approaches. The context of the study is that of software development in an agile environment in South Africa. The theoretical research contribution comprises of the validated conceptual literature-based framework for the user experience of business intelligence dashboards and the compilation and use of an original research design framework that was utilised to guide the research. This research study also has value for industry in that it has produced a novel validated practitioners’ framework that can be used in practice to identify user experience shortcomings and highlight opportunities for improvement.