Increasing data accessibility through its smart visualization

Efficient monitoring: the data integration challenge

Before the project, there was no standard tool to verify production data, such as productivity, availability, scrap, and downtime. The data was scattered across different systems and formats, making daily monitoring cumbersome. The systems often required hours of technical support. The struggle was real, and we needed to act fast to deliver a working solution to stakeholders and prove its value or risk project cancellation. We have been working on this project with one of the ZF’s divisions. Our goal was to design and implement a data visualization module that would enable production data analysis from 36 plants operating under this division.

Insight-driven development and early prototyping

At the beginning of the project, we visited two local plants to understand the nature of work in such an environment and the challenges faced by the employees. Right after these visits, we met for the Discovery Workshop. The workshop's main objective was to plan the development of a visual layer for production data.

To expedite the project, we created a proof of concept instead of mockups. We connected with one plant to develop the app's frontend. We used a temporary “backend adapter” to validate the solution, significantly reducing project time despite knowing it would need refactoring later.

Turning real data into visual clarity

From the beginning, we aimed to avoid creating mockups that looked great but lacked value. Even for the PoC, we used real data from one plant—no substitutes or random numbers. Our goal was to demonstrate that we could utilize existing data and present it in a visually compelling, easy-to-interpret way. Due to tight deadlines, our team worked simultaneously on design and development while the client handled data collection and cleaning. This approach required close collaboration, daily feedback, and prompt action.