Promoting Performance Information Use Through Data Visualization: Evidence from an Experiment

Ballard, Andrew

doi:10.1080/15309576.2019.1592763

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Each consideration of the assessment tool was formulated as a question with defined answer options. The tool included the underlying theory for the considerations by referring back to the concepts applied and available evidence [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 16 , 30 , 31 , 33 , 45 - 55 ] ( Multimedia Appendix 2 ) to remind the panel of the significance of each consideration and aid the assessment and scoring process.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Features Constituting Actionable COVID-19 Dashboards: Descriptive Assessment and Expert Appraisal of 158 Public Web-Based COVID-19 Dashboards

Ivanković¹,

Barbazza²,

Bos³

et al. 2021

J Med Internet Res

120

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Background Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the development of dashboards as dynamic, visual tools for communicating COVID-19 data has surged worldwide. Dashboards can inform decision-making and support behavior change. To do so, they must be actionable. The features that constitute an actionable dashboard in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been rigorously assessed. Objective The aim of this study is to explore the characteristics of public web-based COVID-19 dashboards by assessing their purpose and users (“why”), content and data (“what”), and analyses and displays (“how” they communicate COVID-19 data), and ultimately to appraise the common features of highly actionable dashboards. Methods We conducted a descriptive assessment and scoring using nominal group technique with an international panel of experts (n=17) on a global sample of COVID-19 dashboards in July 2020. The sequence of steps included multimethod sampling of dashboards; development and piloting of an assessment tool; data extraction and an initial round of actionability scoring; a workshop based on a preliminary analysis of the results; and reconsideration of actionability scores followed by joint determination of common features of highly actionable dashboards. We used descriptive statistics and thematic analysis to explore the findings by research question. Results A total of 158 dashboards from 53 countries were assessed. Dashboards were predominately developed by government authorities (100/158, 63.0%) and were national (93/158, 58.9%) in scope. We found that only 20 of the 158 dashboards (12.7%) stated both their primary purpose and intended audience. Nearly all dashboards reported epidemiological indicators (155/158, 98.1%), followed by health system management indicators (85/158, 53.8%), whereas indicators on social and economic impact and behavioral insights were the least reported (7/158, 4.4% and 2/158, 1.3%, respectively). Approximately a quarter of the dashboards (39/158, 24.7%) did not report their data sources. The dashboards predominately reported time trends and disaggregated data by two geographic levels and by age and sex. The dashboards used an average of 2.2 types of displays (SD 0.86); these were mostly graphs and maps, followed by tables. To support data interpretation, color-coding was common (93/158, 89.4%), although only one-fifth of the dashboards (31/158, 19.6%) included text explaining the quality and meaning of the data. In total, 20/158 dashboards (12.7%) were appraised as highly actionable, and seven common features were identified between them. Actionable COVID-19 dashboards (1) know their audience and information needs; (2) manage the type, volume, and flow of displayed information; (3) report data sources and methods clearly; (4) link time trends to policy decisions; (5) provide data that are “close to home”; (6) break down the population into relevant subgroups; and (7) use storytelling and visual cues. Conclusions COVID-19 dashboards are diverse in the why, what, and how by which they communicate insights on the pandemic and support data-driven decision-making. To leverage their full potential, dashboard developers should consider adopting the seven actionability features identified.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Features Constituting Actionable COVID-19 Dashboards: Descriptive Assessment and Expert Appraisal of 158 Public Web-Based COVID-19 Dashboards

Ivanković¹,

Barbazza²,

Bos³

et al. 2021

J Med Internet Res

120

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Often neglected, however, is the presentation of those data in a way that maximizes their usability by public managers. A growing body of evidence indicates that performance information use can vary greatly across different visualizations of equivalent data (Ballard 2020). Nevertheless, too many public organizations still tend to consider alternative formats as interchangeable, and the choice between different visualization techniques as an irrelevant factor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factoring in the human factor: experimental evidence on how public managers make sense of performance information

Bellé

Giacomelli

Nuti

et al. 2021

International Public Management Journal

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We conducted a randomized controlled trial with 902 public hospital department heads to investigate whether and how their perceived understanding and objective recall of performance information may depend on the way it is presented, specifically, the features of its graphical representation. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three alternative graphical displays of the same data, namely a target, a radar, or a pathway chart. We then measured both subjects' perceived understanding-i.e., how clear and understandable they found the performance metrics-and their actual information recall-as assessed by an objective test. Our analyses demonstrate that alternative visual representations of equivalent data may cause significant differences in public managers' ability to make sense of performance information. In the context of our experimental test, the pathway chart outperformed the other two in both perceived understanding and objective information recall, which suggests that public managers may have a good sense of which graphic information formats work best for them. We discuss how our findings can contribute to the advancement of behavioral public performance research.

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“…Similarly, varied financial graphs change investors' risk perception and subsequent investment recommendations (Diacon and Hasseldine 2007). In the area of performance management, the visualization of KPIs motivates managers' intention to act on the information when compared to text (Ballard 2020).…”

Section: Attitude Change and Willingness To Actmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, the field of financial reporting considers the effect of financial graphs on investor perception (Beattie and Jones 2008;Pennington and Tuttle 2009). Second, the potential consequences of visualizations on decision-making are examined in the area of managerial decision support, with a focus on judgments based on quantitative data such as financial decisions (Tang et al 2014) and performance controlling (Ballard 2020). Finally, a small number of works investigate more complex decision-making based on qualitative, multivariate, and relational information (Platts and Tan 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of visualization on judgment and decision-making: a systematic literature review

Eberhard

2021

Manag Rev Q

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The visualization of information is a widely used tool to improve comprehension and, ultimately, decision-making in strategic management decisions as well as in a diverse array of other domains. Across social science research, many findings have supported this rationale. However, empirical results vary significantly in terms of the variables and mechanisms studied as well as their resulting conclusion. Despite the ubiquity of information visualization with modern software, there is little effort to create a comprehensive understanding of the powers and limitations of its use. The purpose of this article is therefore to review, systematize, and integrate extant research on the effects of information visualization on decision-making and to provide a future research agenda with a particular focus on the context of strategic management decisions. The study shows that information visualization can improve decision quality as well as speed, with more mixed effects on other variables, for instance, decision confidence. Several moderators such as user and task characteristics have been investigated as part of this interaction, along with cognitive aspects as mediating processes. The article presents integrative insights based on research spanning multiple domains across the social and information sciences and provides impulses for prospective applications in the realm of managerial decision-making.

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Promoting Performance Information Use Through Data Visualization: Evidence from an Experiment

Cited by 21 publications

References 65 publications

Features Constituting Actionable COVID-19 Dashboards: Descriptive Assessment and Expert Appraisal of 158 Public Web-Based COVID-19 Dashboards

Features Constituting Actionable COVID-19 Dashboards: Descriptive Assessment and Expert Appraisal of 158 Public Web-Based COVID-19 Dashboards

Factoring in the human factor: experimental evidence on how public managers make sense of performance information

The effects of visualization on judgment and decision-making: a systematic literature review

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