Accelerated User Evaluation of a Geovisual Dashboard for Local Government Transportation Planning

Abstract. This study examined if an accelerated user evaluation process could provide substantial insight into the usability and utility of a geovisual dashboard for local government. To examine the feasibility of a user evaluation carried out in a condensed time frame, a case study was conducted to assess a pedestrian risk dashboard for Allegheny County in Pennsylvania, United States. The user evaluation process was completed within a three-week period, which included recruiting participants from municipal government offices, administering user testing and a survey, and synthesizing results. While researchers have defined gold standard frameworks for user evaluation, many geovisual tools are created without any input from prospective users because of perceived barriers. This study demonstrates that even an abbreviated user evaluation process can yield meaningful feedback for a geovisual interface and that researchers designing interactive cartographic tools should reconsider user evaluations as attainable and consequential.