Mobile BI – Part One “Gartner predicts that by 2015 over 50 percent of mobile users will rely on mobile devices for insight delivery …” Hugh Watson 2014

Were They Right? http://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/mobile-marketing-analytics/mobile-marketing-statistics/ Source: http://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/mobile-marketing-analytics/mobile-marketing-statistics/

The Arrival of Mobile BI Truly mobile BI is a relatively recent phenomenon: PDA/PalmPilot (late 90s) RIM Blackberry (2003) Apple iPhone (2007) Apple iPad (2010) MicroStrategy Mobile BI platform released after iPad (late 2010) No!

Motivations for Mobile BI Decisions need to be made outside the office Traveling executives must monitor metrics Smartphone alerts allow from prompt responses to exceptions It can increase employee productivity, enhance customer service and satisfaction

Driving Forces “A driving force behind mobile BI is not mobility itself; rather, it is the ease of use, engaging user experience, convenience, and fast access to relevant and timely business information” (p. 2) Consumerization of IT Work-related IT expectations are based on experiences with personal devices and applications

What is Mobile BI? “Mobile BI provides users with the ability to access information, wherever they are, at any time, and through a variety of devices” Not limited to “out on the road” or “in the field” Smart devices do more than simply extend the reach of BI; mobile devices can send location-specific, context-dependent information that better meets users needs

Who Uses Mobile BI? Senior executives are at the top of the list Heavy information consumers because of organizational position; travel schedules IT managers and developers Access reports & KPIs Line executives and managers Similar needs as senior executives; specific to the business units they manage Front office sales; support personnel are lower on the list, but they can benefit significantly

What Gets Reported? Push Reporting: scheduled release of reports A sales manager may be sent a sales report every Monday Pull Reporting: user-selected reports A marketing manager might want to see the top five customers based on prior-month sales Exceptions and Alerts: unscheduled events and incidents Shared reports: users share reports with one another

Benefits of Mobile BI Information Access Benefits Business Benefits Give executives faster and easier access to information Easier self-service access to data sources Right-time data for users’ roles in processes Business Benefits Improved sales, service, and support Efficiency and coordination in operations and business processes Faster deployment of BI and analytics services

Issues, Challenges, and Potential Solutions of Mobile BI Getting started right No pressure but “it is important that a company’s first mobile BI project be successful; if not, a second opportunity might not present itself soon” Agile design is recommended. Why? Meet user expectations There is an expectation for gestures like swipes and taps to do certain things Do not treat mobile BI as an extension of desktop BI Heavy screen may look great on a desktop computer, but may be questionable on a tablet and impossible to read on a smartphone

Issues, Challenges, and Potential Solutions of Mobile BI Native vs. Web-based Apps Native App: standalone software that is designed and optimized for a specific platform More challenging to develop Likely to have more advanced functionality; offline Preferable by most companies Web-based App: runs within a browser window Can develop so that the browser is “invisible” Universally compatible across platforms

Issues, Challenges, and Potential Solutions of Mobile BI Designing for screen size Tableau guidelines for mobile users: Put your most important view on the top left. It is where users’ eyes naturally start Limit your dashboard to 2-4 views Be stingy with legends and views; eliminate all but the most necessary filters Bigger is better! Use large marks and font sizes

Design for Desktop

Design for Mobile

Conclusion Mobile BI is new Driven by business problems/opportunities Senior executives are heavy users Many different uses Scheduled, selected, and shared reports Alerts Many benefits Improved sales Real-time data access Get it right first time around by meeting users expectations (consider that native is often preferred over web-based apps)