IBM Entity Insight: Revolutionizing Data Access

Non-technical users gain easy access to complex data with Sasha Kerbel's innovative software application

Entity Insight was designed with the challenges of data access in mind. In many corporations, accessing master data is a complex, technical process, often restricted due to security and data-integrity concerns. This software application aims to overcome these challenges, enabling users to access and analyze data sets faster and more efficiently.

What sets IBM Entity Insight apart is its user-friendly interface, designed specifically for non-technical users. The application allows businesses to leverage their existing big data solutions and tailored datasets, providing quick and reliable access to data. Users can visually explore and discover relationships within data, making the process of data analysis more intuitive and less daunting.

The design team, including Zoë Symon, Amanda Pasquali, Rene Rodriguez, Dominick Washburn, Laura Walks, Ruben Fernandez, Meghan Corbett, and Chad Amon, worked together to bring this innovative solution to life. The team used industry-leading probabilistic matching technology to enable users to conduct ad hoc matching and exploration, and tools powered by graph technology to visualize relationships at various degrees of separation.

IBM Entity Insight was developed over the course of a year, starting in January 2017 and made generally available in December 2017. The team's objective was to make difficult-to-access data available to non-technical users in a self-service manner for a variety of analytics purposes. The design process involved extensive research, including interviews, surveys, collaborative design activities, and usability testing.

The team faced several challenges during the design process, including differing thoughts and opinions about the targeted users and the product's purpose. However, through stakeholder interviews and design activities with non-technical analysts, they were able to align on a common understanding and successfully develop a solution that meets the needs of their users.

IBM Entity Insight has been recognized for its innovative design, winning the Silver A' Information Technologies Design Award in 2018. This prestigious award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that demonstrate outstanding expertise and innovation.