2025
Optimizing Power BI Forecasting Dashboard to enhance data consumption.
Overview
I spearheaded a redesign of Styker Endoscopy's Power BI Forecasting Dashboard to improve user adoption rates and data consumption. I collaborated with sales and analytics stakeholders to uncover usability issues and rework the dashboard’s interface to improve clarity and meet the needs of sales professionals. The final design simplified data presentation, aligned with familiar workflows, and created a scalable foundation for future forecasting needs.
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Commercial Analytics Team
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May - Aug 2024
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Disclaimer
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CONTEXT
Forecasting Dashboard before improvements.
PROBLEM
Despite significant investments into Stryker's Power BI sales dashboard database, both sales leadership and sales professionals underutilize these dashboards and express high dissatisfaction with the user experience.
Struggle to sift through seemingly identical data sets.
Unclear filtering affordances with inflexible filtering options.
Skepticism of data validity and updates discourage dashboard use.
How Might We…
RESEARCH
I employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to better understand the salesfloor landscape and forecasting challenges. For my quantitative research I used a database of 7,800 sales support tickets for scripting and analysis.
I implemented the following methods:
User Interviews (12)
Interaction Map
Heuristics Evaluatation
Text Mining
Pattern Analysis
-Endoscopy Regional Manager
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Information overload creates time consuming forecasting process.
Interviews and text mining indicated challenges finding desired info. System promotes recognition over recall.
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75% of interviewees indicated frustration with filter options; desiring flexible dates, product specs and low capital filtering.
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All oncologists interviewed use single folder system to save and sort, with minimal organization.
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Concerns surrounding data recency and accuracy discourages use.
A majority of users indicated skepticism on validity of data which leads to challenging finding opportunities.
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Minimal information salience
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Essential info hidden by overlay
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Redundant and unused features
Ideation
Information salience and decluttering was biggest win. Reducing time to task for data consumption by 58% (not accounting for Power BI latency). Reps expressed positive feedback for scalable filtering options.
However, sales directors preferred preserving territory drill down functionality in accordance with Option 1.
ROADBLOCK
-Endoscopy Sales Director
(Secondary) How Might We…
Referencing the data flow, I realized the solution relied on improving the design of data inputs upstream in Salesforce. Luckily for me, improving Salesforce pages was one of my other internship projects.
SOLUTION
How do you ensure sales reps trust opportunity data? Create an environment where they can manage opportunities upstream in Salesforce.
To do this I took a look at the Endo rep home dashboard, which was largely underutilized and not optimized for opportunity tracking and management.
Sales rep home dashboard before: Under-utilized and unfocused.
Sales rep home dashboard after: Expanded clarity and optimized for opp management.
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Total card and salient overdue data points improve readibility.
Users can easily identify key pieces of information and quickly scan lists of data.
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Contract amount and account name not hidden behind overflow, probability values more concise.
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No need to drill down by individual month, offer 90 and LTD filter options, along with scalable initiative filters.
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Horizontal filters offer familiar pattern to current tools.
Making the filters horizontal closely matches manager alternate tools such as excel or google sheets.
REFLECTION
As the sole designer, I learned valuable lessons on navigating large product orgs, along with thinking outside of the box to find solutions. I also got to re-hone my sales and presentation skills, showcasing my designs to director-level partners and justifying changes. I impacted the following:
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Enabled reps to trust their data by improve upstream tracking.
Ensured dashboard user adoption by creating trust in upstream Salesforce data.
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Leveraged chunking and salient design principles to ensure users can quickly access data accurately.
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Improving opportunity management means deals are less likely to fall through the cracks.
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Created scalable dashboard design system.
Added scalable filters, such as sales initiative to add/change criteria based on user or initiatives.
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