New Innovation Catalog Built In-house with Google Looker Studio
Item #: 20230023
CONTACTS
Implementing Organization: Research and Innovation
Implementation Lead: Quinten Klingonsmith
Development Team: Winston Inoway, Quinten Klingonsmith
Article Written By: Quinten Klingonsmith
Innovation Council Liaison: Quinten Klingonsmith
Innovation Team Coordinator: Quinten Klingonsmith
STATUS
Implementation Date: May 23, 2023
Adoption Status: Implemented (further adoption possible)
Adoptability Note: New tools allow subject matter experts to design and develop their own information systems without computer science degrees and access to expensive software and hardware platforms.
How could your team use similar technology to manage your work, improve your processes and communicate with your customers and stakeholders?
APPLIES TO
Topic: Data Collection, Analysis and Visualization
Organization(s): UDOT (all), Aeronautics, Amusement Ride Safety, Asset Management, Board/Commission, Central Admin/Senior Leaders, Central Construction, Central Maintenance/Facilities Management, Central Materials, Central Preconstruction, Communication, Data Technology & Analytics, Emergency Management, Employee Development, Environmental Division, Equipment Operations, Fiber Optics, Finance/Comptroller, GIS, Human Resources/DHRM, Incident Management, Internal Audit, ITS, Motor Carrier Division, Performance Management, Planning, Policy, Program Financing, Railroad, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Research and Innovation, Right of Way, Risk Management, Road Usage Charge, Stormwater/Environmental, Strategic Investment, Structures, Traffic & Safety, Traffic Management Division, Transit/Rural Public Transit
Job Role(s): Administrative Staff / Commissions, Business Analyst, Executive Leadership, Information Specialist
Tags: labor costs, labor productivity, employee empowerment, personnel development, economic benefits, expenses, expenditures, ( process improvement ), redesign, tracking systems, communications > public relations ( PR ), information technology >> software, networks, marketing > advertising, ( data visualization ), data science
PROBLEM
UDOT used the Learning Portal to collect and share innovations. This system was only accessible to UDOT employees and did not have the required features. It could not be displayed on a mobile phone and the user interface was complicated and hard to read.
Innovation platforms typically cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to license and set up. Ongoing license and maintenance fees are also prohibitive.
CHANGE
The Innovation Team built a new Innovation Catalog using Google products that they already had access to. Google Forms were used to collect and format system information that was held in Google Sheets and displayed using Google Looker Studio.
RESULT
The new Innovation Catalog is accessible to the public and available on mobile devices. Content is easier to find through enhanced search and filter capabilities. The user experience is simple and clean. Innovation details pages are much more readable and engaging. The benefits of an innovation are clearly shown in the new Impact section of the page that is inspired by UDOT’s Quality of Life Framework.
Because the process was developed and is maintained in-house, the Innovation Team is able to quickly update and enhance the catalog on their own.
The new system more effectively connects employees with innovations that can inspire their own efforts to save money and time, and increase safety and customer service.
RELATED INNOVATIONS
Tag Wizard Brings Consistency to Innovation Catalog Search (20230017)
ROI Calculator Aids in Better Efficiencies Reporting and Decision Making (20230018)
Innovation Submission Forms and Processes (20230020)
New Annual Innovation and Efficiencies Report Offers Up-to-date Information and Cost Savings (20230026)
New UDOT Employee Innovation Station Puts Innovation Resources at Employees Fingertips (20230027)
IMPACT
BETTER MOBILITY
N/A
GOOD HEALTH
N/A
CONNECTED COMMUNITIES
N/A
STRONG ECONOMY
The new system enables UDOT to more easily benefit from sharing and adopting innovations
The system can have a wider impact because it is available to the public, our partners and other DOT's
Innovations are now available on mobile devices, making them accessible to more of our intended audience
The in-house system was more affordable and quicker to implement than a SaaS or prebuilt ideas/innovation management software solution
EFFICIENCIES*
Cost Avoidance: $62,476 over 20 years (May 23, 2023 - May 23, 2043)
Benefit/Cost Ratio: 18:1
*Benefits are estimated net of initial and ongoing expenses. Savings are averaged over the expected benefit life of the innovation. See details.