An ontologically founded and governance-integrated information dashboard design method

Abstract

Information dashboards have become essential monitoring and decision-support tools in smart waste management systems, providing stakeholders with real-time operational insights to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Despite their widespread adoption, existing dashboard design practices remain fragmented and ad hoc, with most studies focusing on domain-specific implementations using diverse approaches. Critically, no standardized Information Dashboard Design Method (IDDM) exists that integrates Information Governance (IG) principles or employs ontological approaches, resulting in inconsistent design practices, limited knowledge reuse, and insufficient attention to governance requirements such as data quality, compliance, and accountability. This research addresses this gap by developing the IDDM Canvas, an ontology-based method that embeds IG principles to enable a systematic, accountable, and reusable dashboard design approach that reduces reliance on ad hoc practices. The research employed Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) and synthesized common elements from thirteen recent dashboard design studies into twelve core building blocks organized across three categories: Defining and Planning, Design and Visualization, and Testing and Improvement. These building blocks are governed by eight IG principles: Effectiveness, Transparency, Accountability, Quality, Integrity, Compliance, Security, and Availability, which are integrated within the Information Dashboard Design Ontology (IDDO). The IDDO was developed using the Unified Ontology Approach (UOA), a customized Ontology Development Methodology (ODM), and formalized using OntoUML grounded in the Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO). The IDDM Canvas operationalizes IDDO into a structured, governance-aware method demonstrated through the Intelligent Monitoring Recycle System (i-MORSYS), where two independent designers applied the IDDM Canvas to create operational and analytical dashboards on Tableau and Looker Studio. Evaluation through semi-structured interviews with the two designers and one waste management expert, analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis, revealed positive outcomes across seven themes: Framework usability and learning experience, Enhanced design thinking and user-centricity, Comprehensive coverage with implementation gaps, Practical implementation challenges, Framework flexibility and adaptability, Recommendations for enhancement, and Overall assessment and adoption potential. Participants rated the framework's usefulness at 8.5/10, with all expressing willingness to adopt the method in future projects. This research contributes theoretically through the invention of IDDO and the improvement of dashboard design method through the IDDM Canvas, positioning both within the Design Science Research contribution matrix. Practically, the framework provides a reusable, standardized method bridging ad hoc design practices and governance-aware, systematic approaches. The integration of IG principles establishes a foundation for ensuring data quality, regulatory compliance, and organizational accountability. The framework's ontological foundation enables potential adaptation beyond waste management to other domains requiring governance-aware dashboard design. Future work includes developing iterative design support, operationalizing governance principles with actionable guidance, and exploring the IDDM Canvas's potential as input for AI-assisted dashboard generation tools.