Experiencing Data w/ Brian T. O’Neill

This week, I’m chatting with Steve Portigal, who is the Principal of Portigal Consulting and the Author of Interviewing Users. We discuss the changes that prompted him to release a second version of his book 10 years after its initial release, and dive into the best practices that any team can implement to start unlocking the value of data product UX research. Steve explains that the key to making time for user research is knowing what business value you’re after, not simply having a list of research questions. We then role-play through some in-depth examples of real-life experiences we’ve seen from both end users and leadership when it comes to implementing a user research strategy. Thhroughout our conversation, we come back to the idea that even taking imperfect action towards doing user research can lead to increased data product adoption and business value. 

Highlights/ Skip to:

• I introduce Steve Portigal, Principal of Portigal Consulting and Author of Interviewing Users (00:38)

• “If you don’t know what you’re doing, and you don’t know what you should be investing effort-wise, that’s the inexperience in the approach. If you don’t know how to plan, what should we be trying to solve in this research? What are we trying to learn? What are we going to do with it in the organization? Who should we be talking to? How do we find them? What do we ask them? And then a really good one: how do we make sense of that information so that it has impact that we can take away?” — Steve Portigal (07:15)

• Interviewing Users (use code DATA20 to get 20% off the list price): https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/interviewing-users-second-edition/

In this episode, I’m chatting with former Gartner analyst Sanjeev Mohan who is the Co-Author of Data Products for Dummies. Throughout our conversation, Sanjeev shares his expertise on the evolution of data products, and what he’s seen as a result of implementing practices that prioritize solving for use cases and business value. Sanjeev also shares a new approach of structuring organizations to best implement ownership and accountability of data product outcomes. Sanjeev and I also explore the common challenges of product adoption and who is responsible for user experience. I purposefully had Sanjeev on the show because I think we have pretty different perspectives from which we see the data product space.

Highlights/ Skip to:

• I introduce Sanjeev Mohan, co-author of Data Products for Dummies (00:39)

• “You may slap a label of data product on existing artifact; it does not make it a data product because there’s no sense of accountability. In a data product, because they are following product management best practices, there must be a data product owner or a data product manager. There’s a single person [responsible for the result]. — Sanjeev Mohan (09:31)
  

• Data Products for Dummies: https://www.dataops.live/dataproductsfordummies

Today I am sharing some highlights for 2023 from the podcast, and also letting you all know I’ll be taking a break from the podcast for the rest of December, but I’ll be back with a new episode on January 9th, 2024. I’ve also got two links to share with you—details inside!

Greetings everyone - I’m taking a little break from Experiencing Data over December of 2023, but I’ll be back in January with more interviews and insights on leveraging UX design and product management to create indispensable data products, machine learning apps, and decision support tools. 

Experiencing Data turned this year five years old back in November, with over 130 episodes to date! I still can’t believe it’s been going that long and how far we’ve come. 

Some highlights for me in 2023 included launching the Data Product Leadership Community, finding out that the show is now in the top 2% of all podcasts worldwide according to ListenNotes, and most of all, hearing from you that the podcast, and my writing, and the guests that  I have brought on are having an impact on your work, your careers, and hopefully the lives of your customers, users, and stakeholders as well! 

So, for now, I’ve got just two links for you:

If you’re wondering how to either:

• support the show yourself with a really fast review on Apple Podcasts,

…just head over to designingforanalytics.com/podcast and you’ll get links to all those things there.

And secondly, if you need help increasing customer adoption, delight, the business value, or the usability of your analytics and machine learning applications in 2024, I invite you to set up a free discovery call with me 1 on 1. 

You bring the questions, I’ll bring my ears, and by the end of the call, I’ll give you my best advice on how to move forward with your situation – whether it’s working with me or not. To schedule one of those free discovery calls, visit designingforanalytics.com/go

And finally, there will be some news coming out next year with the show, as well as my business, so I hope you’ll hop on the mailing list and stay tuned, that’s probably the best place to do that. And if you celebrate holidays in December and January, I hope they’re safe, enjoyable, and rejuvenating. Until 2024, stay tuned right here - and in the words of the great Arnold Schwarzenegger, I’ll be back.

In this conversation with Klara Lindner, Service Designer at diconium data, we explore how behavioral science and UX can be used to increase adoption of data products. Klara describes how she went from having a highly technical career as an electrical engineer and being the founder of a solar startup to her current role in service design for data products. Klara shares powerful insights into the value of user research and human-centered design, including one which stopped me in my tracks during this episode: how the people making data products and evangelizing data-driven decision making aren’t actually following their own advice when it comes to designing their data products. Klara and I also explore some easy user research techniques that data professionals can use, and discuss who should ultimately be responsible for user adoption of data products. Lastly, Klara gives us a peek at her upcoming December 19th, 2023 webinar with the The Data Product Leadership Community (DPLC) where she will be going deeper on two frameworks from psychology and behavioral science that teams can use to increase adoption of data products. Klara is also a founding member of the DPLC and was one of—if not the very first—design/UX professionals to join.

Highlights/ Skip to:

• I introduce Klara, and she explains the role of Service Design to our audience (00:49)

• diconium data: http://www.diconium.com/

This week I’m covering Part 1 of the 15 Ways to Increase User Adoption of Data Products, which is based on an article I wrote for subscribers of my mailing list. Throughout this episode, I describe why focusing on empathy, outcomes, and user experience leads to not only better data products, but also better business outcomes. The focus of this episode is to show you that it’s completely possible to take a human-centered approach to data product development without mandating behavioral changes, and to show how this approach benefits not just end users, but also the businesses and employees creating these data products. 

Highlights/ Skip to:

• Design behavior change into the data product. (05:34)

• 15 Ways to Increase Adoption of Data Products: https://designingforanalytics.com/resources/15-ways-to-increase-adoption-of-data-products-using-techniques-from-ux-design-product-management-and-beyond/

Today I’m joined by Nick Zervoudis, Data Product Manager at CKDelta. As we dive into his career and background, Nick shares insights into his approach when it comes to developing both internal and external data products. Nick explains why he feels that a software engineering approach is the best way to develop a product that could have multiple applications, as well as the unique way his team is structured to best handle the needs of both internal and external customers. He also talks about the UX design course he took, how that affected his data product work and research with users, and his thoughts on dashboard design. We discuss common themes he’s observed when data product teams get it wrong, and how he manages feelings of imposter syndrome in his career as a DPM. 

Highlights/ Skip to:

• I introduce Nick, who is a Data Product Manager at CKDelta (00:35)

• “What I’m always trying to do is see, how can we best balance the customer’s need to get exactly the data point or insight that they’re after to the business need. ... There’s that constant tug of war between customization and standardization that I have the joy of adjudicating. I think it’s quite fun.” — Nick Zervoudis (16:40)
  

• CKDelta: https://www.ckdelta.ie

Today I’m joined by Marnix van de Stolpe, Product Owner at Coolblue in the area of data science. Throughout our conversation, Marnix shares the story of how he joined a data science team that was developing a solution that was too focused on the delivery of a data-science metric that was not on track to solve a clear customer problem. We discuss how Marnix came to the difficult decision to throw out 18 months of data science work, what it was like to switch to a human-centered, product approach, and the challenges that came with it. Marnix shares the impact this decision had on his team and the stakeholders involved, as well as the impact on his personal career and the advice he would give to others who find themselves in the same position. Marnix is also a Founding Member of the Data Product Leadership Community and will be going much more into the details and his experience live on Zoom on November 16 @ 2pm ET for members.

Highlights/ Skip to:

• I introduce Marnix, Product Owner at Coolblue and one of the original members of the Data Product Leadership Community (00:35)

• Coolblue: https://www.coolblue.nl

Today I’m joined by Vishal Singh, Head of Data Products at Starburst and co-author of the newly published e-book, Data Products for Dummies. Throughout our conversation, Vishal explains how the variations in definitions for a data product actually led to the creation of the e-book, and we discuss the differences between our two definitions. Vishal gives a detailed description of how he believes Data Product Managers should be conducting their discovery and gathering feedback from end users, and how his team evaluates whether their data products are truly successful and user-friendly.

Highlights/ Skip to:

• I introduce Vishal, the Head of Data Products at Starburst and contributor of the e-book Data Products for Dummies (00:37)

• Starburst: https://www.starburst.io/

Today I’m joined by Jonathan Cairns-Terry, who is the Head of Insight Products at the Care Quality Commission. The Care Quality Commission is the the regulator for England for health and social care, and Jonathan recently joined their data team and is working to transform their approach to be more product-led and user-centric. Throughout our conversation, Jonathan shares valuable insights into what the first year of that type of shift looks like, and why it’s important to focus on outcomes, and how he measures progress. Jonathan and I explore the signals that told Jonathan it’s time for his team to invest in a designer, the benefits he’s gotten from UX research on his team, and the recent successes that Jonathan’s team is seeing as a result of implementing this approach. Jonathan is also a Founding Member of the Data Product Leadership Community and we discuss his upcoming webinar for the group on Oct 12, 2023.

Highlights/ Skip to:

• I introduce Jonathan, who is the Head of Insight Products at the Care Quality Commission in the UK (00:37)

Links

• Care Quality Commission: https://www.cqc.org.uk/

Today I’m joined by Anthony Deighton, General Manager of Data Products at Tamr. Throughout our conversation, Anthony unpacks his definition of a data product and we discuss whether or not he feels that Tamr itself is actually a data product. Anthony shares his views on why it’s so critical to focus on solving for customer needs and not simply the newest and shiniest technology. We also discuss the challenges that come with building a product that’s designed to facilitate the creation of better internal data products, as well as where we are in this new wave of data product management, and the evolution of the role.

Highlights/ Skip to:

• I introduce Anthony, General Manager of Data Products at Tamr, and the topics we’ll be discussing today (00:37)

• Tamr: https://www.tamr.com/