Determinants of visual analytics adoption in organizations

Abstract

Purpose Visual analytics is increasingly becoming a prominent technology for organizations seeking to gain knowledge and actionable insights from heterogeneous and big data to support decision-making. Whilst a broad range of visual analytics platforms exists, limited research has been conducted to explore the specific factors that influence their adoption in organizations. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for visual analytics adoption that synthesizes the factors related to the specific nature and characteristics of visual analytics technology. Design/methodology/approach This study applies a directed content analysis approach to online evaluation reviews of visual analytics platforms to identify the salient determinants of visual analytics adoption in organizations from the standpoint of practitioners. The online reviews were gathered from Gartner.com, and included a sample of 1,320 reviews for six widely adopted visual analytics platforms. Findings Based on the content analysis of online reviews, 34 factors emerged as key predictors of visual analytics adoption in organizations. These factors were synthesized into a conceptual framework of visual analytics adoption based on the diffusion of innovations theory and technology–organization–environment framework. The findings of this study demonstrated that the decision to adopt visual analytics technologies is not merely based on the technological factors. Various organizational and environmental factors have also significant influences on visual analytics adoption in organizations. Research limitations/implications This study extends the previous work on technology adoption by developing an adoption framework that is aligned with the specific nature and characteristics of visual analytics technology and the factors involved to increase the utilization and business value of visual analytics in organizations. Practical implications This study highlights several factors that organizations should consider to facilitate the broad adoption of visual analytics technologies among IT and business professionals. Originality/value This study is among the first to use the online evaluation reviews to systematically explore the main factors involved in the acceptance and adoption of visual analytics technologies in organizations. Thus, it has potential to provide theoretical foundations for further research in this important and emerging field. The development of an integrative model synthesizing the salient determinants of visual analytics adoption in enterprises should ultimately allow both information systems researchers and practitioners to better understand how and why users form perceptions to accept and engage in the adoption of visual analytics tools and applications.