Applying Design Thinking to Analytics and Internal Reporting.

Despite massive investments in business intelligence platforms, internal reports are often underused or misunderstood.

The reason? A lack of human-centred thinking. This is where Design Thinking steps in, offering a structured way to build reports people actually use.

The Problem with Traditional Internal Reporting

Many internal dashboards focus on completeness over clarity. They are built by analysts for analysts, not for time-poor decision-makers. A 2021 Deloitte study found that 62% of executives feel overwhelmed by data, yet only 23% say they rely on dashboards to make decisions.

Using Design Thinking to Transform Internal Reporting

Let’s walk through how the five stages of Design Thinking can be applied directly to internal reporting workflows.

1. Empathise: Understand the Users, Not Just the Metrics

Interview employees across departments. Ask:

• What reports do they use?

• Where do they feel stuck?

• What decisions are they trying to make?

Journey mapping or empathy maps can help visualise pain points and user goals.

Example: A procurement team might be frustrated by logging into five separate systems to forecast supplier delays.

2. Define: Frame the Problem Clearly

Convert insights into actionable problem statements.

❌ “We need a banker dashboard.”

✅ “How might we help bankers and leaders forecast better without switching systems?”

Well-defined problems unlock better solutions.

3. Ideate: Co-create with Stakeholders

Bring cross-functional teams together. Facilitate workshops with Post-it notes, sketch prototypes, or storyboard a day-in-the-life experience using the report. Aligning it to business and analytics from the start.

4. Prototype: Build with Low Fidelity First

Rather than launching a Power BI build, create:

• Paper mockups

• Clickable wireframes (using Figma or PowerPoint)

• Annotated screenshots of existing reports with proposed changes

Gather feedback quickly and iterate.

5. Test: Validate Before Scaling

Deploy your prototype to a small group. Watch them use it. Collect verbal feedback and behavioral data (e.g., time spent on the page, clicks, drop-offs).

Revise based on what works—not what was assumed.

Real-World Impact

The Australian Department of Health adopted Design Thinking principles to redesign internal reporting on aged care metrics. The result was a simplified dashboard that improved data comprehension by 47%, according to internal surveys (2022).

• Deloitte Access Economics (2021). Data-Driven Decision-Making in Australian Enterprises.

• Australian Government Design System. https://designsystem.gov.au/

• Norman, D. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things. MIT Press.