GFK
Lead Researcher: Nicole Mueller
Senior Designer: Janine Prange
Data Visualisation Principal: James Sinclair
Background
GFK Newron, a product developed by GFK, aids clients in consuming market data with data visualisation as its core element. Obtaining reliable information on data visualisation performance was crucial for the platform’s success. The user research team employed Dovetail to store insights, but the collected data on data visualisation was too high-level to guide improvements. One of my objectives was to devise a reliable method of assessing data visualisation that could complement qualitative data.
GFK hosts an annual conference called “We Create,” where they invite ideas for presentations. Nicole suggested Gamifying Data Visualisation as a fun and engaging approach to gather improved data from participants. I found this idea to have significant potential, aligning seamlessly with my strategy for data visualisation.
Challenge
- Gain approval for the proposal
- Develop a functional research tool within two months, alongside our daily responsibilities
- Ensure the tool’s delivery adhered to the conference format constraints (45-minute slot, mobile phones, and Wi-Fi connection)
- Create a user-friendly tool that participants could easily grasp and use within seconds
- Shortly after the proposal’s acceptance, with only six weeks remaining before the conference, Nicole left GFK. Fortunately, Janine stepped in to fill the gap. However, as Janine was in Germany and I was in the UK, we couldn’t rehearse the session together in person until our arrival at the conference in Athens.
Approach
Understanding the conference setting, which informed various design decisions:
- Determining the delivery method: attendees playing the game in small teams to foster competition
- Adopting a mobile-first approach, as attendees were likely to use their personal devices
- Implementing printed QR codes for quick and easy access to the game
- Capturing session data to present a leaderboard
Balancing time constraints to create both data capture and analysis:
- Utilising Google Analytics (GA) for analysis by isolating sessions via UTM (urchin tracking module) tags and leveraging GA’s reporting and segmentation tools
- Focusing on data capture, drawing inspiration from online gaming sites for timing, feedback, and flow
- Using pre-existing code for generating charts to support the design team
- Building foundational components: timers, the data structure for task delivery, and screen design
As I worked on the game, Janine offered a fresh perspective, suggesting improvements and handling conference delivery, such as designing the QR code handout and presentation format. This collaboration allowed me to concentrate on a single task, significantly enhancing efficiency.
After completing a working model, I shared the link with the design team for feedback, ensuring clarity, functionality, and data capture. Despite a few minor hiccups, our efforts proved fruitful, as not only did everyone complete the game, but a small group also engaged in competition, attempting multiple times to improve their standing on the leaderboard. Janine and I knew we were on the right track.
Outcome
- The tool proved successful for all session attendees, allowing us to display a session leaderboard and identify the winning team. As a reward, the winners received chocolate, while the others got lollipops (playfully acknowledging that they “sucked”).
- The session sparked a lively discussion on gamification and its implications for data validity.
- Ultimately, the GFK design team gained a solid foundation from which they could develop a valuable research tool.