Overview
Discovery
Design
Test
Handoff
Conclusion
Project
Overview
Mathematica, a leader in evidence-based research and data analysis, partnered with AGRA, a non-profit driving agricultural transformation in Africa, to create a data dashboard for tracking progress across countries.
They asked us to design this dashboard, transforming complex, multi-source datasets into a clear, intuitive tool for decision-making. AGRA leaders, from country directors to VPs, would use it to assess progress, identify gaps, and compare results by country and crop during quarterly and annual planning.
My Role
I was involved from inception to completion, leading efforts to organize and interpret scattered data, explore effective visualization approaches, and manage testing, refinement, and final handover. While collaborating closely with my team for feedback and insights, I developed a strong sense of ownership and deepened my understanding of data visualization, both technically and strategically.
Highlights
Timeline
Discovery
Secondary Research
01
Understanding R Shiny’s capabilities
Explored R Shiny’s potential for building interactive, data-driven dashboards suited to AGRA’s scale. Reviewed case studies and documentation to identify how its visualization tools could handle complex datasets effectively.
02
Researching effective data visualization methods
Analyzed best practices and existing dashboards across sectors to determine suitable visualization types for agricultural indicators, ensuring clarity, comparability, and ease of interpretation.
User research
The main challenge lay in AGRA’s complex, multi-variable dataset spanning regions and time periods. Before designing, we conducted stakeholder interviews to understand their needs, challenges, and expectations for how the dashboard should support their workflow.
Simplicity was crucial
Users needed a dashboard that provided at-a-glance insights without overwhelming them with data.
Comparisons were key
Leadership wanted to track progress across different countries, crops, and other variables.
Customization mattered
Different teams had different needs, so the dashboard had to allow users to tailor their views.
Ideation
Our early explorations focused on finding the right structure and visual language to balance detail with clarity. We mapped workflows, tested layout variations, and drafted interaction models that would support both strategic overviews and deeper analysis. Visualizations required interactivity—filters, drill-downs, and hover-to-reveal tooltips—allowing users to customize views for deeper exploration and understanding.
Our design approach focused on creating a dashboard that was both scalable and intuitive, ensuring users could navigate data effortlessly while accommodating future growth. Here’s how we made it happen:
Flexible Layout
A modular, scalable framework accommodating future data additions without a full redesign.
User-Friendly Navigation
Users could navigate seamlessly while always knowing their place within the dashboard.
Micro-visualizations
Small, glanceable charts allowed users to see trends quickly, while interactive filters and drill-downs let them explore further.
Development
The solution turned a complex data challenge into a visually engaging, user-friendly tool. A high-level summary on the landing page highlighted key goals for instant comprehension, while micro-visualizations offered snapshot insights with hover or click details. The final choices ensured consistency in color, navigation, and visual hierarchy for a seamless experience. Each visualization was assessed for clarity, comparisons across regions and time periods, and quick trend detection, using tailored approaches like grouped bar and line graphs.
UX Guidelines
Clear documentation of the UX ensured consistency in future iterations and technical scalability. While the modular layout allowed seamless data integration and expansions without the need for a complete redesign.
Testing
We tested various graph and visualization types to determine which best supported AGRA’s leadership in understanding the data. Customized user flows and journeys were developed for each testing group, including country heads, business line leaders, and senior management, to ensure the experience aligned with their specific roles and decision-making needs.
This process revealed opportunities for improvement, including:
01
Customizability
The ability to customize dashboards to fit specific needs allows for a more personalized experience.
02
Specific drill-downs
Additional filters and comparison tools would allow users to drill down into specific data points.
Handoff
We worked closely with the development team to make sure our designs were not just visually effective but also feasible within the technical constraints. We iterated quickly, testing and refining components to strike the perfect balance between aesthetics, functionality, and performance.
Several parameters were considered during the handoff
Ensuring compatibility with R Shiny, the template-based development tool used by the organization, was critical. Every layout, interaction, and feature was designed with its technical limitations and capabilities in mind.
Each use case scenario was also accounted for—covering no-data, zero states, active states, and all other possible user interactions—to make the system resilient and reliable.
Scalability was another key focus. The design was built to support future growth through modular layouts and a defined design system, allowing the platform to evolve even in the absence of a dedicated designer.
Challenges & Reflection
Challenges
We worked closely with the development team to make sure our designs were not just visually effective but also feasible within the technical constraints. We iterated quickly, testing and refining components to strike the perfect balance between aesthetics, functionality, and performance.
![](data:image/svg+xml,<svg display="block" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 2 380" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><defs ><linearGradient id="c6CEMnC95-336449796-linear-gradient" x1="0.49751243781094523" x2="0.5024875621890548" y1="0" y2="1"><stop offset="0" stop-color="rgb(28, 136, 254)"/><stop offset="1" stop-color="rgb(0, 65, 135)"/></linearGradient></defs><path d="M 0 0 L 2 0 L 2 380 L 0 380 Z" fill="url(%23c6CEMnC95-336449796-linear-gradient)" height="380px" id="c6CEMnC95" width="2px"/></svg>)
The first major challenge was balancing diverse stakeholder needs.
The project also involved cross-continental collaboration between teams in the United States, Africa, and India, which demanded extensive coordination across time zones, languages, and workflows.
Finally, technical limitations within the development software required careful trade-offs between design intent and feasible implementation.
Reflections and Learnings
01
Functionality over aesthetics
The project reinforced that true value lies in how well a system works, not just how it looks. Aligning the dashboard with StarRez and user workflows proved far more impactful than visual embellishments.
02
Designing for clarity
Simplifying complex, multi-country datasets into clear, actionable visuals showed how design can directly influence better, faster decision-making.
03
Collaborative cooperation
Working with diverse stakeholders across geographies strengthened the ability to translate varied goals into one coherent, human-centered solution.
Despite the differences, we worked together to refine the dashboard through structured feedback loops, iterative design sprints, and continuous validation with end-users. Design, in many ways, became the universal language that bridged all differences.
Let’s create something meaningful together.
rachitsinghi2001@gmail.com
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