At @Amplitude_HQ, I end up talking with lots of teams about "data" and being/becoming more "outcome focused". Here are a couple patterns from the last 12mo:
1/10. Teams often see data as a trust proxy, when in fact you need more trust/safety to face disconfirming insights
1/10. Teams often see data as a trust proxy, when in fact you need more trust/safety to face disconfirming insights
2/10. Teams seem to routinely talk themselves out of "using data" bc they aren't [insert massive scale B2C company here]. I make a real effort here to describe what healthcare, logistics, enterprise B2B etc. are doing to offer some inspiration.
All teams make decisions.
All teams make decisions.
3/10. Many teams go through a "data driven" phase, only to realize that they've lost sight of the customer/user/strategy. Then they revolt against quant. The pendulum swings.
The real shift is connecting ALL learning/measurement to a powerful, human-relatable mission
The real shift is connecting ALL learning/measurement to a powerful, human-relatable mission
4/10. I'm seeing a shift in thinking among senior engineering leaders. More product-centric. More strategic. Less defensive about using 3rd party technologies/products. They see the need.
This mirrors front-line eng and designers who are pushing for more clarity around impact.
This mirrors front-line eng and designers who are pushing for more clarity around impact.
5/10. There's a shift from siloed "data" teams ("Answers/Dashboards as a Service") to self-service. But that has given rise to: "Data Literacy as a Service". Which involves teaching and advocacy. This is true for both qual and quant.
It is a big shift.
It is a big shift.
6/10. "Start w/questions" is important. So is the related "start with decisions". But forming questions takes iteration as well. This is the trap of the dashboard-ification / KPI-ification of "using data". You lose exploration, iteration, refinement that went into forming the Q.
7/10. Lots of teams are stuck measuring linear, short-term funnels (e.g. landing page optimization, or signup). They are missing out on the deeper story / more complex questions related to customer lifetime value, job efficacy (for B2B), long-spanning experiences, etc.
8/10. Use of a certain class of products is becoming a prerequisite for some people taking product related roles. This is wild, and telling. An @Amplitude_HQ user recently explained to me that they had passed on two offers because of incomplete tooling/support.
9/10. A pattern: super long data warehousing/lake/mart efforts that keep promising to "connect all the things", but can't keep up w/ the shifting landscape and what's needed by the product.
Eng leader: "We may be forgetting the Why here, and have turned this into a big project"
Eng leader: "We may be forgetting the Why here, and have turned this into a big project"
10/10. Finally, the back to the human angle. Pride. Sense of impact. A job well done. Intellectual honesty. Ppl want to make a difference in their work.
This is what inspires me (personally) every day...the degree to which ppl want to improve how they work, and their impact.
This is what inspires me (personally) every day...the degree to which ppl want to improve how they work, and their impact.
