We invented a laid-back style of management reporting for those who like to work with their feet up. The more athletically inclined will soon be able to access their reports while speeding along airport walkways.

On our German blog site a reader recently asked in jest what we should do with all the space that we have gained through higher information density. Since graphical elements need less and less space and the display screens are getting larger and larger, will management reporting soon fit on an iPhone or Blackberry?

Sparklines on an iPhone

Exactly! We can already view stock market charts based on sparklines with the iPhone’s Safari browser. And for my own management reporting, I only need a third of the screen thanks to a special version of our sparkline ticker.

As you will quickly see in Powers of Ten, a short film from the legendary designers Charles and Ray Eames, the advancements in human perception in all areas are based on an increase in resolution. At the beginning of Galileo’s observations of the sky, a telescope was invented with 20 times its previous strength. Understanding and exploring outer space or making medical advancements go hand in hand with powers of ten – in grasping what is far away and drilling down into microscopic detail.

For management information in the world of iPhones and Blackberries, it basically means that within the space which was previously used to view developments of a single business unit, we now can observe developments in all units – all within eye’s sight. That’s what I call progress!