Big Data Visualization and Context Management

Abstract

This thesis explores different perspectives on the added value of data and data visualizations in context management practices and argues that organizations can have a valuable role in the space between bottom-up and top-down approaches, as individuals’ lack of control over a context becomes an opportunity for encouragement of a sense of environmental mastery. Organizations’ ability to make changes in the environment creates awareness of their disadvantage and stimulates a reaction. A data driven platform, which consist of a personal and organizational dashboard, allows for communication between individuals and organizations and evokes a sense of control, as it allows individuals to share their experience of the context and choose an environment which meet their personal needs. Through individuals’ input, organizations are able to change the context in a way that it meets the variety of needs, and managerial success is expressed in levels of satisfaction. For organizations it becomes relevant that individuals choose a context which increases the efficiency in which organizations meet the levels of satisfaction. The role of the personal data visualizations is to provide individuals with individual meaningful data insights which encourage the interaction and provoke individual changes in behavior in favor of the collective. Gamification elements which respond to social belonging, such as social anchoring, are drivers for the data-driven platform to evoke behavioral changes which are initiated by the collective. They are supported by elements which evoke a sense of esteem, such as leaderboards and progress bars, and mastery of feedback and creativity, such as direct feedback and meaningful choices. Moreover, random and unexpected rewards evoke a sense of curiosity, which promotes a sense of urgency in the interaction. The ability for organizations and individuals to reflect upon the current context with regards to organizational goals and the variety in individuals’ needs, and the development of individual meaningful insights which promotes behavioral changes initiated by the experience of the collective, are captured and presented in a framework. The framework envisions way to handle the data and apply the data visualizations so that organizations and individuals can collaboratively transition from current to future states. Specification of the framework to case study The Edge illustrates the application of the framework, and resulted in the development of a concept proposal including an interaction scenario. Energy conservation and experienced levels of comfort are connected. The next step would be to test the effectiveness of the personal data interface; does the concept encourage individuals to interact, and change their behavior towards energy reduction? And does it allow for management based upon efficiency in meeting the desired experience?