For more than a decade, there’s been an increasing level of angst in the design community about data & analytics, and the push by organizations to use numbers to influence what we designers do.
One of the biggest fears is that somehow, paying attention to all the data points about how our users, you know, USE the things that we build … will somehow compromise the creative process.
Hogwash.
Without solid user data, we are relying only on our creative instincts and best guesses. Which are not the worst place to start from – but as we dive deeper into iterative cycles, we absolutely need to verify and validate that we’re not allowing our own prejudices and value judgments to dominate.
Without data, we are left chasing after our audiences, trying to figure out where they are going. With data AND our insights, expertise and instincts, we are able to meet the audience where they most desire to go, and to give them both what they want – and what they need.