Seeing Beyond the Dashboard

In 1996, Ben Shneiderman wrote a paper without a single data table. No graphs. No study participants. Just an idea. And in it a line, repeated ten times, like a mantra. That idea changed how we see much of our digital space.

This week on Seeing Beyond the Dashboard, Pete Wright sits down with Ben, the father of direct manipulation and one of the minds behind the blue hyperlink. You know, the one you’ve clicked a million times. Together, they retrace the evolution of user empowerment through design, from early command lines to Google Maps and the treemap visualizations that turned markets into rectangles. Ben’s famous framework—“Overview first, zoom and filter, then details on demand”—wasn’t just a guideline. It was a philosophy. A lens through which data became human.

But what happens when your ideas win? When every software company starts parroting your mantra? Ben wrestles with that, too, venturing into the murky waters of AI hallucinations, human responsibility, and what it means to remain optimistic in a world where the machines keep getting louder. This is a conversation about the thrill of discovery and the beauty of a well-designed interface.

Links & Notes

• Ben Shneiderman’s book: Human-Centered AI
• "The Eyes Have It: A Task by Data Type Taxonomy for Information Visualizations" by Ben Shneiderman
• Learn more about Hopara's Real-Time Data Visualization Platform

Imagine a world drowning—not in water, but in data. A relentless flood of information, pouring in from IoT devices, enterprise systems, sprawling data lakes. And in this world, the tools we use to navigate—dashboards, tables, static reports—are brittle rafts, barely keeping us afloat.

Now, imagine something different. A system not of numbers and charts, but of landscapes. A way of seeing, navigating, zooming—not unlike the way we explore the world itself.

Dr. Michael Stonebraker doesn’t just imagine this world. He’s building it.

Michael has spent a lifetime shaping how we think about data. A Turing Award-winning computer scientist, he helped define the very foundations of modern databases. But today, he’s here to talk about something else: a fundamental shift in how we access and visualize information.

In this episode, Pete Wright sits down with Mike to explore Hopara—the tool that might just change how we see data forever. They talk about factories in Brazil, the hidden language of vibration sensors, and why Google Maps might hold the secret to understanding a chaotic world. They discuss the peculiar habits of EKG machines, the logistical ballet of John Deere combines, and why hospitals can be some of the slowest adopters of life-saving technology. And they confront the elephant in the server room: the real reason data remains such an untamed beast in the enterprise.

If you think data visualization is about prettier charts, think again. This is about something much bigger.

Links & Notes

• Hopara.io
• Dr. Michael Stonebraker’s Work

What if your data wasn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet or static charts on a dashboard? What if it was alive—mappable, explorable, and rich with hidden insights waiting to be uncovered?

Seeing Beyond the Dashboard is a show about how we think about data. This series explores how Hopara is transforming real-time data visualization—helping industries like manufacturing, life sciences, healthcare, and IT infrastructure move beyond outdated reports to interactive, dynamic insights.

Each episode brings you inside the world of Hopara, featuring conversations with experts, customers, and visionaries who are using real-time visualization to solve complex challenges. From monitoring factory floors with pinpoint precision to tracking critical assets in hospitals, we explore the revolutionary technology that’s making data actionable.

Expect deep dives into real-world applications, behind-the-scenes looks at Hopara’s innovations, and thought-provoking discussions on the future of data intelligence. If you've ever been frustrated by the limits of traditional dashboards, this is the show that will change the way you see your data—and your business.

Welcome to the future of data visualization. Welcome to Seeing Beyond the Dashboard.