If you’ve worked in technology, particularly within social housing, you’ve probably heard it: “We don’t want another dashboard.”
It’s become a familiar refrain as organisations grapple with the flood of data from IoT devices, housing management systems and compliance tools. Yet while this statement may be understandable, the reality is far more nuanced. The truth is that some stakeholders do want a dashboard, just the right kind, tailored to their needs.
At Aico, we believe that dashboards aren’t inherently the problem. The real issue is inefficient, inflexible or poorly-designed dashboards that add noise rather than insight. The goal isn’t to abandon dashboards entirely but to reimagine their purpose and design to meet the needs of different users.
Diverse stakeholders
Within any housing provider, you’ll find a range of stakeholders, each with differing data requirements. Asset managers might want compliance summaries and tools for lifecycle monitoring, surveyors may require real-time environmental readings, and C-level executives want strategic KPIs, not operational minutiae. Meanwhile, IT departments often advocate for seamless data integration via APIs, allowing them to populate existing systems without adding (yet) another interface.
The challenge is to provide flexible solutions that cater to all these preferences. For some, an intuitive dashboard is the ideal tool for day-to-day decision-making. For others, integrating data directly into their existing digital ecosystem is the best approach.
Built to be used, designed to be shared
At Aico, we design our HomeLink dashboards to serve two complementary goals: deliver insights that users actually want to use, and provide the flexibility to integrate seamlessly elsewhere. It’s about choice, not compromise.
For example, take the problem of damp and mould. Our dashboards offer real-time, sensor-driven insights that help to identify at-risk properties before problems escalate. But they go beyond simply showing humidity levels; they provide context, surface detailed property insights and highlight properties most in need of intervention, all in ways that are immediately actionable for housing providers’ frontline teams.
The damp & mould use case – Empowering surveyors
Mid Devon Housing is an illustrative case study. Faced with the need to meet stricter regulations under Awaab’s Law and the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023, Mid Devon Housing is now using Aico’s HomeLink case management system to manage and mitigate its damp and mould cases.
Rather than overwhelm its surveyors with data feeds, it has embraced the Aico dashboard tools because they do more than just display data, they actively support decision-making.
The housing provider’s surveyors can view property-specific environmental conditions, access historical trends and automatically receive alerts for properties that breach defined thresholds. They then use these insights to plan interventions, communicate with tenants and document actions taken, all within one interface.
The result? More efficient case tracking, faster resolution of problems and clearer communications between surveyors and residents. In other words, a dashboard that made their work easier, not harder.
Shared insights & sector-wide expertise
Another strength of Aico’s approach lies in our unique vantage point. Because we collect and analyse data across a vast number of properties and organisations, we can identify patterns and develop tailored dashboards and insights faster than any single housing provider could alone.
When we uncover a meaningful trend, whether it’s a predictive marker of damp or an optimisation in sensor deployment, we can rapidly package that insight into a refined dashboard and make it available across our client base.
This not only reinforces Aico’s role as a subject matter expert, but also removes the burden from individual organisations to develop and maintain their own dashboards from scratch. New features and insights are continuously rolled out at no additional cost, ensuring that all clients benefit from collective learning and innovation.
Helping clients make the switch
We understand that adopting a new system can be daunting. That’s why we actively support our clients with smooth transitions from their existing tools.
Our customer success team and relationship managers provide tailored onboarding, process mapping and ongoing training, so that our clients’ stakeholders are confident about using our systems from day one. Whether replacing spreadsheets or integrating with legacy housing management systems, we work closely with clients to remove friction and minimise disruption.
More than a dashboard – A specialist ecosystem
With Aico, clients get a dashboard and access to a complete ecosystem designed for the social housing sector. Our tools are purpose-built, developed in collaboration with housing providers and backed by a specialist team that understands our sector’s unique challenges.
Our HomeLink dashboard is synchronised with our resident app so that the correct information flows to the right people, creating operational efficiencies and improving outcomes for residents.
Looking ahead – AI for adaptive insights
The future of housing data management lies in intelligent automation. At Aico, we’re already exploring the use of AI to surface predictive insights, detect anomalies and recommend proactive interventions before problems escalate.
These capabilities will not only enhance dashboard flexibility but allow for a more adaptive, self-learning system that evolves with the needs of housing providers. Our commitment is to ensure that our clients are always one step ahead.
API first, not API only
That said, not everyone wants or needs to log in to yet another portal. Many housing providers already have established workflows built around their housing or asset management systems. For these teams, HomeLink offers comprehensive API support, enabling seamless data flow into platforms like NEC, Civica and others.
This dual approach, combining strong standalone tools with integration options, is central to the usability of our platform. It’s not a binary choice between dashboard or API, visibility or efficiency; the future lies in enabling both.
From resistance to value
“Not another dashboard” often stems from ‘dashboard fatigue’, where people are tired of logging into half a dozen systems every day, each with its own quirks. We get that. That’s why Aico is committed to creating dashboards that earn their place in end-users’ workflows.
That means dashboards that load quickly, display only the most relevant insights and allow users to act rather than just observe. It also means engaging with clients to co-design interfaces and being open and clear about when a dashboard is the right tool and when it’s not.
A flexible future
There will always be a place for dashboards, but just not ‘the one size fits all’ kind. Housing providers are evolving rapidly, with new pressures around compliance, cost efficiency and tenant engagement. As their data needs become more complex, they need tools that can adapt quickly to change, not tools that promise to do everything but demand endless manual efforts.
At Aico, we’re helping the sector meet these needs with tools that are flexible, purposeful and designed for real users. Whether you’re a surveyor responding to a damp alert or a data analyst integrating environmental metrics into your BI platform, the right insights should be within reach.
The next time someone says, “Not another dashboard”, we say, “Let’s talk.” Because it might just be the dashboard they didn’t know they needed.
Daniel Little is the regional director of Aico.
