Data must always be grounded in context.
Are we measuring the right things? What other explanations could there be for observed user behavior? Are you indicators leading or lagging? Always ask if your data-based decisions create value for your users. How you use your data matters a lot to the future of your company.
Uzma Barlaskar, former CEO of PatternEQ, elaborates on data-informed vs. data-driven in Hackernoon:
In data driven decision making, data is at the center of the decision making. It’s the primary (and sometimes, the only) input. You rely on data alone to decide the best path forward. In data informed decision making, data is a key input among many other variables. You use the data to build a deeper understanding of what value you are providing to your users.
So, one might ask, what’s wrong with being a data driven culture. Data is an incontrovertible source of truth. The belief that data is incontrovertible is actually a myth. There are several blind spots in data, which if not addressed, can lead to sub optimal decisions.
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In a data informed culture, you try to understand the behavior that’s behind the data. Users find value in the content that they are being notified about, not in the notification itself. Understanding which notifications users like and why users find these certain notifications valuable, you will be able to figure out a) how to increase the value your app is providing b) if there are similar high-value events that users would appreciate notifications for.
