Making data and data visualization systems usable by internal stakeholders
An example screen from the current iteration of the web analytics dashboard. Note: Numbers have been altered to protect sensitive company data.
The Challenge
The company struggled to visualize the performance of its e-commerce website due to:
An incomplete Google Analytics implementation.
Limited data literacy among stakeholders.
No centralized platform for key performance indicators (KPIs) and objectives (OKRs).
As a result, stakeholders had difficulty interpreting web performance, particularly after revenue declines following the COVID-19 e-commerce boom. Without clear data insights, they struggled to identify trends, understand revenue shifts, and make strategic decisions.
An example of the multiple tools required to view data about ecommerce performance. Note some of these are unable to view more than one day's data at a time. Note: Numbers have been modified to protect sensitive company data.
My Role
As a UX Designer and Researcher, I led usability research, information architecture, and interface design of a centralized data dashboard. I also took on product management responsibilities, bridging the gap between stakeholders, and developers. My collaboration included:
Back-end & Front-end Developers – Troubleshooting data accuracy and integrating internal analytics.
Marketing & UX Teams – Defining user needs and prioritizing features.
C-Suite Executives – Aligning dashboard insights with business goals.
Understanding User Needs
Primary Users: Marketing team members, executives, copywriters, graphic designers, UX designers, and social media specialists.
User Problem:
"As a stakeholder working on the e-commerce site, I need to quickly access and understand relevant data so I can analyze past performance and guide future initiatives, regardless of my technical expertise."
To address this, the dashboard needed to be:
✅ Easily accessible
✅ Simple to navigate
✅ Designed for varied levels of data literacy
This User Persona representing the Executive and Owner-level Stakeholders who will use this dashboard
Process & Challenges
Phase 1: Identifying Data Gaps
Initially, I attempted to extract insights using Google Analytics but quickly discovered inconsistent and incomplete data. Working alongside developers, we uncovered implementation flaws requiring external consultants to reconfigure the setup.
Phase 2: Designing the Dashboard
Once the data pipeline improved, I was responsible for designing and structuring the dashboard using Looker Studio. Unlike traditional UX projects where tools like Figma are used for prototyping, this project required direct prototyping within Looker Studio, as it was both the design and implementation tool.
This meant that:
Iterative design happened in real-time, directly within the analytics platform.
Instead of wireframing first, I worked within Looker Studio to test layouts, refine navigation, and adjust data visualizations based on stakeholder feedback.
Prototyping and usability testing were conducted using live data, allowing for immediate validation of design decisions.
By embracing Looker Studio as a prototyping tool, I ensured that design decisions were informed by real-world usage, minimizing the gap between concept and implementation.
Example prototypes from Looker Studio. Even though the team decided to move away from the platform, these still provide valuable insight into how to build and shape the new platform.
Phase 3: Pivot to a New Platform
While our initial improvements enhanced usability, we encountered a fundamental limitation: the data remained unreliable. Due to persistent limitations with Google Analytics. At the direction of the CIO, we pivoted to integrating internal analytics instead of GA data. However, this led to a new technical roadblock: Looker Studio lacked secure integration capabilities for our internal data.
Phase 4: Product Strategy & Decision-Making
With Looker Studio unable to securely integrate our internal data, we needed a new solution that met both our security and usability requirements. At this stage, my role evolved to include product management and technical facilitation:
Collaborated with developers to explore alternative open-source tools.
Synthesized research findings to inform the CIO and stakeholders.
Led discussions to unify efforts and select Kibana as the new platform.
With a new direction in place and efforts realigned we were able to free up developer resources and focus on iterative development of the new platform.
A brief flowchart outlining how the decision to use Kibana was reached.
Current & Next Steps
We are now in the user testing phase, testing initial dashboard designs with stakeholders using a limited dataset before expanding.
Because the project is ongoing, we will continue to iterate as our user's needs become clear through interviews and testing.
Success will be measured by how seamlessly stakeholders integrate the dashboard into their decision-making processes, leading to more data-driven strategies and improved business outcomes.
The example set of new data is loaded into the Kibana platform and ready for user testing. Note: Numbers have been alterned to protect sensitve company data.