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January 29, 2009
What Makes Ad Hoc Reporting Software Easy to Use?
Here's the big irony of ad hoc reporting software. It's designed by techies while being aimed at nontechnical users.
OK, you'll say, but that's the case with most end-user software, so what's the biggie? To which I'll reply, sure. That's why no end-user software has ever failed after teeing off thousands of frustraded users, right?
Right.
So, if you are a company looking to add ad hoc reporting to your BI arsenal, how do you know you are not about to equip your end-users with something that will frustrate rather than help?
The solution is: easy
To use, that is. But what does this mean in practical terms? After all, what's easy for me may not be easy for you and viceversa.
In the context of ad hoc reporting software, easy means two things:
1 - Possessing a solid set of basics. I'm talking about the famous 20% that solves 80% of practical problems. These basics need to be so simple to use that even a half-trained monkey would be able to navigate through them in a way that will make a difference in his job (the end-user's, not the monkey's).
2 - Possessing the more advanced stuff, but as a clear different step for the end user.
What do I mean? If you want to look at good end-user products, look at the better point and shoot digital cameras. They have a mode selector wheel with a little red heart that means "use this if you just want to take a snapshot, and don't you worry about anything else." So, with this camera in this setting, aunt Camelia or uncle Larry only have to worry about not keeping their finger in the way of the lens and voila'. That's all they need.
However, these cameras also have advanced settings. Say Camelia and Larry get fancy and want to start taking pictures that rival those captured with SLRs costing ten times as much, the features are there. This is where my point 2 comes into play.
The same goes with ad hoc reporting software. The better ad hoc solutions give the end-user the absolute basics of reporting and analysis in a simple, foolproof wizard-driven format, which enables the user to a) adopt the solution without being scared of it and b) start using it to solve his problems.
But these solutions also have the more "advanced" features, presented in a way that don't look like must-know-the-first-time necessities, but eventually-nice-to-have extras. This way, the more advanced user can use them right the first time, while the more computer-shy one can reserve them for later while creating and using his own reports without having to run, hat in hand, to your IT department every time.
Nice two-step. One step easy-now, two step fan-cy, one step easy-now, two step fan-cy... That's the rhythm of successful ad hoc reporting software.
In the end, remember this: failed adoption and too much reliance on IT is the major reason why BI projects fail. So, caveat emptor.
Posted by The Ad Hoc Reporting Boys at January 29, 2009 2:45 PM
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