I have received several questions over the years and finally have taken the time to write a Q&A for this blog.

Q: What is the purpose of the Interactive Data Visualization / Ryan Goodman blog?

A: I started this blog in 2006, one year after the acquisition, as I worked for Informmersion and then Business Objects. The original goal was to write about my personal/professional interests around data visualization, dashboards, Xcelsius, etc. Very quickly I found that most people wanted tricks, templates, and advisement on dashboard development. Since then I have done my best to write once a week to give unique views and methods for using Xcelsius.

Q: Are you paid by BOBJ to write nice things and market Xcelsius?

A: Absolutely not! Though I do make money from consulting and software sales with Centigon Solutions, I write this blog only to help the community solve the same problems I face as I use Xcelsius. If something stinks or doesn't work, I usually suggest how it could be better in my post. I only post articles with hopes that you walk away with a more tools in your pocket to build excellent dashboards.

Q: Do you provide consulting services?

A: I certainly do provide consulting services and advisement on Xcelsius projects. If you are interested in these services, please contact me

Q: What is your association with Centigon Solutions?

A: I am the founder of Centigon Solutions Inc., a business that I started shortly after leaving Business Objects in 2007. We have focused our energy on the Xcelsius market, since it is now large enough to support a small ecosystem of third party vendors. I am involved in product design and public relations/marketing aspects of the business. If you are interested in contacting me about business opportunities related to Centigon Solutions, please submit it through the website rather than the blog, to ensure it goes through the right channels.

Q: Why didn't you answer my email?

A: If I have not answered your email, I do deeply apologize and hope that you were able to obtain assistance. I get most emails from the blog, and reply to them when ever I get a free moment. With a book deal and product launch in late Q2/Q3 2008, time was scarce. I had also lost a large quantity of emails, due to someone hacking into my server. Since I have made great improvements to my infrastructure, and I promise to get back to you ASAP.

Q: What is your take on Stephen Few's negtive views on Xcelsius?

A: I get this question quite a bit since I have written a few articles specific to dashboard design. Unfortunately, I am somewhere in the middle of the road since my background in UI design/Flash development and early exposure to Tufte's and Kaplan's work have both influenced how I design dashboards. I am guilty as charged for building some bad dashboards…though none as bad as the poor examples I have seen on Stephen’s blogs. Stephen Few is an expert in the data visualization field and has poured his passion into what is a growing dashboard market. His honest, yet sometimes critical view of the world has made his blog popular. If you look at the various dashboard products within the marketplace, I think you can credit Stephen for pushing back and gaining attention of some vendors.

Q: What is your background?

A: I went to school and studied graphic information technology, and business. My early career was spent doing Flash design and development from version 3 up until Flash MX. Along the way, I have worked on some innovative HCI projects using voice recognition and mutli-touch applications. I started using Xcelsius in 2004 to develop desktop widgets and financial dashboards. It was in 2004 that I first met the Xcelsius team, then joined them in 2005. 3 years and two acquisitions later, I founded Centigon Solutions Inc.