Supporting web searching of business intelligence with information visualization

In this research, we proposed and validated an approach to using information visualization to augment search engines in supporting the analysis of business stakeholder information on the Web. We report in this paper findings from a preliminary evaluation comparing a visualization prototype with a traditional method of stakeholder analysis (Web browsing and searching). We found that the prototype achieved a higher perceived usefulness and perceived analysis effectiveness and was perceived favorably in expediting the subjects' decision making and in helping them understand the analysis results. Overall, the proposed approach was found to augment traditional methods of analyzing business stakeholders. We discuss implications to researchers and practitioners and future directions.