Vendia Share - Consumption Dashboard
Translated client usage data into user-friendly data visualizations for the dashboard.
Increased product’s pricing transparency and illuminated total cost of ownership of the users enabling customers to optimize their usage for the maximum value.
ROLE
Product Designer
DURATION
Jun '23 - Sep’23
TEAM
Product Manager (1), Solution Architect (1), Developers (2)
I was the Product Designer responsible for conducting User Interviews, Stakeholder Interviews, Competitor Analysis, Data Visualization, Ideation, Prototyping and Testing. I also collaborated with the developers who worked closely through the Design sprint, making it effortless while developing the dashboard.
WHAT IT WAS
#before
The current pricing model is structured around the various activities the clients engage with data within the product. Here's a glimpse of the reports shared with our clients at the end of each month.
WHAT IT BECAME
#after
The above reports are replaced by the Usage and a Billing dashboard. With appropriate Data visualizations and features the dashboard allow users to slice and dice their consumption data efficiently.
DESIGN PROCESS
The Design process primarily involved conducting in-depth research on the product, with stakeholder and users as interview participants. Further with a study of the competitors, I was able to arrive at quicker solutions.
Primary Challenge of the Dashboard was the Data Visualization part, for which I worked with a series of visualizations tools like, Tableau, Domo, Mode and others.
VENDIA SHARE
#introduction
Vendia Share is a Data Collaboration Platform, to facilitate real-time, trusted, and harmonized data sharing between multiple parties.
The multiple parties can even be internal or external systems. The platform is powered by patented distributed ledger technology, network of decentralized databases, and security layer, that delivers consistent real-time view of your shared data.
CHALLENGE
#new_pricing_model
Consumption credits
These credits will be tracked and billed using the Consumption dashboard. Credits are consumed based on Node metering for activities. Currently, customers must submit a support request, which is handled on an ad-hoc (and manual) basis by the solution architects in the Product team.
With the introduction of a dashboard, the Consumption Dashboard will be the single source of truth for clients to monitor their usage in the Vendia Share product and for any billing-related queries regarding activities such as
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reads
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writes
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shares
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subscriptions
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notifications
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smart contracts
and storage, classified by different unis/network and nodes.
RESEARCH
#opportunity
Design Workshop & Stakeholder Interviews
I conducted 5 individual Stakeholder interviews, 3 user interviews and a Design workshop with the Product team.
Findings
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Vendia is used for various purposes, including corporate travel expense management, internal business process management, and onboarding reinsurance partners.
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Users are transitioning from a pay-as-you-go model to a credit-based system and require features to predict credit usage and optimize spending.
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Users need granular breakdowns of credit consumption and clear insights into usage patterns to facilitate informed financial decision-making within their organizations.
Target Users
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Business leaders (heads of business) responsible for budgeting and resource allocation.
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Engineers tasked with tracking usage and identifying anomalies.
DATA VISUALIZATION
Data Viz - tool capablities
I evaluated more than 6 data visualization tools before identifying the best fit for the product, that seamlessly integrates with the existing eco-system.
Must Have - capablities:
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Ability to white label and integrate the tool into Vendia
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Role and permissions - role based access control
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way to write custom authorization "hooks" so that we can embed Vendia's RBAC logic between a tool and the data warehouse
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Row and field level access control
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Filtering - drill through and click through
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Query capabilities against DB
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Performance queries
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Accessibility - Visuals, colors
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Visualization diagrams - Charts and diagrams
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Options for widgets for charts/tables
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bar / stacked bar charts
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line graphs
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pie / donuts charts
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tables / pivot tables
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trending lines
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heat maps
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gauges
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metric cards with "up" / "down" comparison
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Data Viz tools Analysis 2
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candlestick
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waterfalls
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bubble chart
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Good to Have - capablities:
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Self-service - drag and drop, ad-hoc
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Templating layout of report - maintain "individual" reports by customer - filter the data based on Organization, Uni network, and Node.
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Hover over features
Shortlisted - tools
While I created initial data visualizations for the product dashboard using DOMO, the final implementation was built by the full-stack development team. My work provided a foundation for the developers, who translated my designs into a fully functional solution within the existing codebase.
ITERATIONS
#dashboard_design
Activity Vs Entities
The key decision for the project was to determine whether usage data should be represented as a metric of overall activity or a metric for each entity owned by clients.
#iteration_1
Summary of Entities
Summary of different Uni/network owned by the user, was the primary aspect of the first iteration
Data Visualizations from DOMO
Using graphs and charts generated from real-time usage data of a primary client, the first iteration of the Dashboard was designed.
Trends Report - Cost Summary
The other unit of the dashboard was currency and the trends report section showcased the fluctuation in the cost for every entity
Balancing Activity and Entity
By analyzing both activity and usage metrics, I aimed to find a balance that effectively captured the distinct usage patterns of each entity within the client's Vendia Share Portfolio.
In the initial design iteration, presenting both cost variation trends, billing summaries along with the usage data within the same dashboard proved to be confusing due to the inherent differences in the two metrics.
Consequently, we decided to separate them into dedicated dashboards for improved clarity and user experience.
#iteration_2
Toolbar - Component
The addition of the toolbar component (that influenced the entire dashboard) in the second iteration was a key improvement, as it provided users with convenient access to essential functions, allowing them to slice and dice data effectively.
Data Sharing - Core aspect of Vendia
The ability to slice and dice data sharing activity within a client's portfolio proved to be a valuable addition to the dashboard.
Balancing Node(s) and Uni(s)
Providing granular data exploration by entity (Unis and Nodes) was a crucial requirement for stakeholders.
While the second iteration introduced functionalities for this purpose, it became overwhelming for users managing large client portfolios with numerous Unis and Nodes.
Following minor refinements, the second iteration received unanimous approval from stakeholders. Introducing 5 new components within the existing design system.
These components were accompanied by detailed state specifications, facilitating seamless integration into the product library by the engineering team.
SOLUTION
#final_design
The final design consisted of two distinct dashboards tailored to address specific user needs:
Consumption Dashboard: This dashboard focused on usage and activity, providing insights into the breakdown by Unis and Nodes. It presented data as simple counts of activity occurrences, offering a clear understanding of overall usage patterns.
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Billing Dashboard: This dashboard focused on the financial aspects, showcasing credits associated with each activity and their corresponding currency values. It allowed users to switch between units using a toggle button, and provided valuable insights into trends, individual Uni spending, and historical data.
#highlight_1
Variations & Selection - Interaction
Uni(s) & Node(s) Section Toolbar
Streamlined selection & interaction via new design system component (detailed variations provided for smooth development).
#highlight_2
Table Component
Simple interactions & bi-directional scrolling for intuitive data exploration, mirroring familiar spreadsheet formats for easy adoption by users accustomed to Excel.
#highlight_3
Share summary
Aligning with Vendia's core data sharing purpose, this clear visualization became a cornerstone for intuitive data exploration such as,
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Sharing patterns: Who shared the most data and with whom?
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Node participation: Which nodes were involved in the data exchange?
USABILITY STUDY
To evaluate the user experience of the final design, we conducted three usability testing sessions. These sessions yielded valuable insights, leading to:
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Minor refinements to column headers:
Based on user feedback, we made slight improvements to the clarity and conciseness of the column headers.
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Enhanced data comparison:
We implemented a new feature that automatically calculates and displays the average change in comparison to the previous month, providing users with a more readily interpretable metric.
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Validated design approach:
The usability testing confirmed the effectiveness of the two-dashboard approach, as users found both the Consumption and Billing dashboards valuable for their respective purposes.
REFLECTIONS
Early and frequent collaboration with my developers
Collaborating closely with the full-stack developers from the project's outset proved to be invaluable. Weekly check-ins and design workshops fostered a shared understanding of the product vision, ensuring developers were well-informed from the initial stages and avoiding surprises later in the development process.
Stakeholder alignment
Effectively managing stakeholder expectations was crucial. I facilitated regular discussions to ensure every stakeholder's unique perspective was heard and considered. Balancing these needs with the long-term product vision was essential for guiding the development process in the most beneficial direction.