Integrating Usability and Data Visualization in Open Science: An Evaluation of the dataWASHES Dashboard
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5753/isys.2025.6766Keywords:
dataWASHES, Open Science, Usability, Data Visualization, WASHESAbstract
Open Science promotes transparency and collaboration through open data sharing. The dataWASHES initiative supports this goal by providing an API for accessing WASHES workshop proceedings but lacked an interactive visualization tool. This paper presents a dashboard that enhances data analysis, evaluated through qualitative inspection based on Tufte’s and Dowding and Merrill’s principles and usability testing using the System Usability Scale (SUS). The dashboard achieved clarity, consistency, and strong spatial organization, with a SUS score of 91.25 and 96.4\% user satisfaction. This work applies visualization and usability principles to Open Science dashboards, reinforces user-centered design, and extends dataWASHES with an interactive interface. Therefore, this work contributes by (1) applying Tufte’s principles and Dowding and Merrill’s principles to the design of Open Science dashboards, (2) reinforcing the role of user-centered design and data visualization in the engineering of Open Science tools, and (3) enhancing dataWASHES with an interactive dashboard that transforms research data into actionable findings. From an Information Systems perspective, the dashboard supports sensemaking by enabling users to interpret and contextualize scientific data through integrated visual representations.
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