Case Study: Spotfire Metrics for Mobile Devices

When TIBCO acquired Redmond based Extended Results I was involved in reviewing their mobile product, PushBI, during the acquisition phase and lead the effort to improve its usability and design after we acquired them. Now called Spotfire Metrics, it is used to monitor performance. Given that our users don't spend their entire days inside our apps we aimed to simplify things and keep their attention focused on what matters to them—the pulse and performance of their businesses.

What follows outlines the path from an initial heuristics evaluation through the 1.0 version of the apps launched in both iTunes and GooglePlay utilizing the new designs I spearheaded. My iPad designs were used as the baseline and I also created the Android version. TIBCO pivoted away from the project in 2015, but took the work done on the KPI tiles and included them as a new chart type in their core data visualization platform, Spotfire.

Specifically, my role on this project involved the following tasks:

Guerilla usability testing
Heuristics evaluation
Leading brainstorming sessions
Organizing the information architecture
Defining the app's mission statement
Interaction design
Art direction
Contractor management

Note: since this app is no longer available I am including a link showcasing how my design work was incorporated into Spotfire, TIBCO's primary data visualization tool.

A screenshot of the Android version of Spotfire Metrics, including the work done by our visual designer.

As part of the acquisition of Extended Results I was tasked with performing a heuristics evaluation of their monitoring app, PushBI. What follows are some of the slides from that effort.

A sample from my heuristics evaluation of PushBI.

After TIBCO acquired Extended Results the decision was made to immediately release PushBI renamed as Spotfire Metrics. I performed a guerilla style usability test at our Boston office, interviewing five users who we figured to be our target market, including a marketing director and a vice president of sales. What follows are some of the results of the test.

Some of the key findings

Some of the recommendations resulting from the study that would inform our redesign effort.

Direct quotes from our testers on what they liked.

Direct quotes from our testers on what they didn't like.

After the usability tests and heuristics evaluation I ran a Lean UX style brainstorming session with the team and began with this problem statement.

Key points from our brainstorming.

Where we were falling short.

The results of our mistakes. In other words, where opportunity lurked.

We found a good place to start to improve Metrics' user experience.

The next step was take our findings and start whiteboarding out ideas based on research, existing mobile UX design patterns, functional requirements, and business requirements.

A whiteboard from our sessions.

The final stage was to create wireframes for the project. The iPad was used as the baseline and the other platforms and form factors branched out from there.

The design of the tiles is meant to provide status at a glance. I came up with the idea of adding a stacked bar chart to the bottom of them if they summarize a hierarchy. This is important because somethings within the hierarchy may be performing better or worse than others and our users need to know that.

A sample of my iPad wireframes.

A sample of an Android phone wireframe.

A sample of an Android tablet wireframe.

Epilogue After TIBCO shuttered the Metrics project they took the work and incorporated it into their core Spotfire project. By the time this happened I had already left the company, but never the less the work I had done on the Metrics project informed the direction they took.