Building an AI-powered analytics dashboard to evidence impact for NCACE

Context and challenge

NCACE exists to evidence and showcase the social, cultural and environmental impact of collaboration between higher education and the arts. But the data behind that impact was scattered across multiple platforms and reports, and pulling it together meant slow, manual reporting cycles. Valuable insight existed, but it was hard to surface, hard to see in real time, and largely locked away in spreadsheets.

What the audit found

• Impact data spread across multiple platforms and reports
• Slow, manual reporting cycles
• Hard to surface trends and patterns across collaborations
• Limited real-time visibility of web and engagement performance
• Insight locked in spreadsheets rather than accessible dashboards

What we built

We built an AI-powered web analytics dashboard that brings the relevant data sources together in one place. An AI layer summarises trends, flags notable changes, and turns raw numbers into plain-language insight, all presented in a clear, interactive interface that the team and stakeholders can actually use.

Systems and technology

Connected data sources, an AI-powered analytics layer that summarises trends and flags notable changes, automated reporting, and a clear interactive dashboard built for the team and external stakeholders.

Constraints and guardrails

Because the evidence already lived across multiple platforms and reports, the work had to improve access without creating another manual reporting burden. We kept the dashboard anchored to existing sources, made the AI layer assist interpretation rather than replace judgement, and designed the outputs for both the delivery team and external stakeholders.

How it worked in practice

Relevant data sources feed a shared dashboard layer. The interface groups the signals into a view the team can scan, while the AI layer summarises trends and flags notable changes. A person can then move from the summary to the underlying evidence before sharing an insight.

Outcome

The team can now see and evidence impact at a glance instead of rebuilding reports by hand. Insight that was previously buried is surfaced automatically, and stakeholders and funders get clear, accessible evidence of the value of the collaborations NCACE supports.

• Impact data brought into one shared reporting view
• Trends and notable changes surfaced for review
• Evidence readable without rebuilding reports by hand
• Clearer outputs for stakeholders and funders
• A foundation that can expand as measurement needs evolve