The factors that influence IT professionals to use data visualization tools in China and New Zealand

Abstract or Summary

With the popularity of the big data concept and the explosive growth of data, more and more companies and individuals are no longer satisfied with the routine operation of excel and start to look for modern data visualization tools suitable for their purpose. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate visualization software to prove its effectiveness, efficiency, usability, and utility, to help users find an appropriate visualization tool. This research aims to identify the factors influencing IT professionals to choose data visualization tools in China and New Zealand. The research project adopts a quantitative approach to analyze the factors such as user interface, data source connection, help documentation, pricing packages, and functionality updates. The researcher creates an online survey with 24 questions, and 388 valid responses have been collected through LinkedIn (international version). The researcher applies descriptive analysis, Chi-Square test and three-way ANOVA to analyze the results. The top three popular data visualization software that IT professional used are Microsoft Power BI, Excel and Tableau. The most critical factor that influences IT professionals to choose data visualization tools is the user interface flexibility. The results suggest the design of data visualization tools and what to consider when selecting the right data visualization tool.