Dashboard redesign
banner : cds
project overview
The Client
Banner Engineering is a manufacturing problem solver providing technology solutions to automate production and improve efficiency. The Banner CDS Dashboard is a cloud solution for gathering data from their Gateway Devices and presenting it the user.
The Opportunity
The Banner CDS Dashboard had been previously built as a data consumption, cloud storage tool. The understanding of the structure was based of the engineers who built the product’s sense of organization. As demand for the product grows, a redesign of the Dashboard needed to accomodate scaling to match a small and large company needs.
Through a series of iterations, I enhanced the site architecture and mapping, navigation, data organization, and data consumption. While restructuring and redesigning the Dashboard, the visual look and feel also needed to be enhanced and prepared for market.
current state analysis
getting the context
I started the project by gaining insight from interviews and contextual inquiries with stakeholders, engineers, developers, sales personnel, and users. I also did a personal deep dive of the Dashboard to familiarize myself with the current state, feature and tool set, navigation, and site organization.
findings
The product was built by engineers as a way for engineers to provide customers their data. We needed to take a hard look at how a user would think about their data, how it should be organized, and how it should be presented visually for optimal consumption.
The redesign also needed to address the scalability from smaller companies with two or three Gateway Devices to larger, multi conglomerate with hundreds of Gateway Devices.
organizational mapping
how users organize data
The CDS Dashboard gets data pushed up from Gateway Devices that are connect to multiple machines in the manufacturing industry. When a Plant or Reliability Manager is thinking about a factory floor, they want to know what machine the data is coming from, not necessarily the device that is that is sending that information.
Users are thinking about their data in terms of “What Company is this for?”, “What Site Location is this at?”, “What Asset or Machine is it?”. This is industry vernacular and organization that is clear to the user.
navigation
Simplified
Cleaned up and simplified the navigation to reflect the new changes to the site structure and organization. I also removed areas of double information to clearly indicate what a user would be provided with that information. As we were also doing work with the user created Dashboards, we added quick access “Favorite” links.
data consumption
overview
After moving away from Gateway Organization, I wanted to provide the user to a quick and customizable view of their data. When the user logs on they are dropped to the Overview where they get an interactive map overview of all their locations, a navigational list of their companies and associated locations, and a list of current alerts. Alerts are user data defined notifications related to their assets.
Company Location details
After selecting a Company Location from the Home Overview page, a user is taken to a detailed page of that Location. Assets for each location are user defined into groups and attached to simple data points instead of complicated device system. These data points can be added to the graph above to have quick comparisons.
Focusing in on the purpose of the Overview to consume data, I removed any management of Assets, Alerts, or Gateways. Previously, this cluttered and complicated the day to day use of the tool. Data Management is an infrequent use of the Overview after initial set up and occasional adjustments to the system.
data provided
Gateway Devices are amazing tools that have the ability to pull hundreds of types of data points from users assets. Previously, the data came through in long lists of every data point type available. For everyday use, the user is now able to select specific data points, attach them to their assets, and only be provided the desired data.
Device Management
gathering the data
The Gateway Devices are still an important aspect of the functionality of gathering data from the users manufacturing assets. A dedicated area was created where the user can manage the devices, view data pushes, and utilize advanced IT features. The user can also add, edit, or delete devices to ensure their data reaches the platform to be organized within Asset Management.
additional information
a portion of the project
This project had a lot of moving parts and the focus of the portfolio piece was largely on the new visualizations, the reorganization, and the reimagining of how a user would want data presented to them. These changes were among many to enhance the usability, product features, and visual design.
additional pieces
Now that the focus of consuming data had shifted, the design process filled in pieces not presented here. Asset Management had to be built out to accommodate the users ability to organize data where and how they wanted. Alerts needed the same design process as they were now directly related to Assets. A feature was added to the Alerts in order to have particular Contacts notified when they were on shift.
Creating individual dashboards got a minor facelift to fit in with the new look and feel. Another portion of the scope of work returns to the dashboards to go through it’s own design phase.
Want to learn out more?
Email me at erin.lorentzen@gmail.com