Karen Roberts
Making daily insights easier to understand, without sacrificing depth
This project reimagined reporting as an insight-driven dashboard, designed to surface what matters most and support fast, confident decision-making in high-stakes environments.
Project overview
PSAP supervisors rely on the Day in Review report generated daily from a cloud-based 911 analytics and reporting platform to monitor performance, staffing, and potential risks. However, the existing report made it difficult to quickly interpret what mattered, slowing down decision-making in high-pressure environments.
The problem
The existing reports presented dense, static data with little hierarchy or guidance. Important signals were buried within lists, making it difficult to quickly identify trends, risks, or areas needing attention.
As a result, supervisors had to manually analyze data or export it to other tools, slowing down decision-making in time-sensitive situations.
Legacy reports also looked outdated and didn’t match our newer UI. They were static and offered little upfront value, requiring users to do extra cognitive work to find problem areas.
How might we move beyond static reports and create an insight-driven, dynamic Power BI–friendly experience that makes it easier to understand what’s happening, catch risks early, and act with confidence?
Understanding our users
I conducted qualitative user research with PSAP employees to understand how reporting is used.
The goal was to identify how users interact with report data in practice, where they experience friction, and what is needed to better support insight-driven decision-making.
From the research, several consistent user needs emerged:
Users wanted a quick snapshot of daily performance
Identifying trends required
manual comparison across
reports
It was difficult to know what needed attention
There was a desire for clear summaries and visualizations
The Solution
The Day in Review experience was reimagined as a dynamic, insight-driven dashboard that surfaces what matters most, enabling users to quickly understand performance, identify risks, and act with confidence. By introducing predictive insights, the experience shifts from reactive reporting to proactive decision-making, especially around staffing.
Designed for clarity at a glance
Key information is prioritized through strong visual hierarchy, allowing supervisors to quickly spot patterns, spikes, and irregularities without scanning dense lists.
From raw data to actionable insights
Metrics are grouped and contextualized to help users understand what the data means, not just what it is.
Introducing predictive insights for staffing
Predictive elements provide forward-looking visibility into staffing needs, helping teams anticipate demand rather than react to it.
“We really like the direction you’ve taken. It’s important that (redacted software name) keeps up with the rest of the industry. Honestly, for several years, it felt like there wasn’t much R&D happening. I’m glad to see that’s changed, without this renewed focus, the product might not have survived”
- Pat, Oregon PD
Reflection
This project highlighted that reporting challenges are often less about data availability and more about how information is structured and understood. A key consideration was finding the balance between giving a complete daily view and avoiding unnecessary complexity.
It also reinforced the importance of designing around how users actually consume information, not just how data is organized.
Building on this work, I explored how reporting could evolve further by:
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Integrating visualizations directly into reports
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Embedding predictive insights across all reporting surfaces
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Creating a more unified experience between dashboards and reports
One of the most rewarding parts of this project was exploring how predictive insights powered by machine learning and Power BI could unlock more meaningful ways for users to interact with their data. It pushed me to think beyond static reporting and imagine a more adaptive experience. I started day dreaming about Hyper-personalized dashboards tailored to each user’s unique goals, behaviours, and workflows. Its hopefully something I can work on and apply as a future solution.
