Decisions without Data are just Opinions

Happy Monday everyone! There is a lot going on in the Cleveland Product scene, so let’s get to it!

Article of the Week

Product people love data. It helps inform us about how our customers use our products. It helps us hedge our bets for what to build next. It confirms or refutes our assumptions. It helps us tell a great story and convince others.

But which data is the right data? How do you go about getting it? How often? And how do we know when we have enough? Here are three major considerations when using data to build your products.

• Identify which problem you are trying to solve - Learning how your existing customers are using your products or assessing the market require different data than trying to acquire new customers or increasing retention rates. Knowing which problem to solve will help you to...

• Determine which data to go after - You can use tools to get usage data (open rates, click-through rates, heat maps) so you know how your existing customers are using your products now. You can do customer interviews to get their thoughts on your current product (what value does it bring, what problem does it solve, is it easy to navigate) or why they may have left for a competitor. Or you can use external market research or utilize internal strategy teams to assess your competition.

• Obtain the data regularly - You will need to set up some regular patterns to extract and mine the quantitative data, and engage with your customers on a regular basis to get qualitative data. That will involve working with internal data or analytics teams to get the quantitative data, or with research or UX teams to get access to the right customers. But you must do this regularly - not once per year during budget season.

No matter what data you look at or what problem you are solving, you need a combination of the right data to inform your decision making. Without it, your decisions are just opinions.

Product School has a good article on using data to make sound product decisions. Click below to read more.

Product Jobs of the Week

The Product roles at Cleveland companies keep rolling in!

• The Garland Company - Product Manager

• Publicis Sapient - Director of Product Management (Health)

• Bird Technologies - Product Manager (Military)

• Medical Mutual - Digital Experience Product Owner

• Barentz - Product Manager

Upcoming Events

• May 17th - Quiet Quitting: Apathy or Setting Intentional Boundaries? (virtual)

• June 1st - Product Lean Coffee (in-person)

About the Author

My name is Shawn Leitner. I started the Cleveland Product networking group in 2017, which helps to connect Product professionals around Cleveland, providing them with a forum to network, learn, and share stories. For my day job, I'm a Product Consultant & Coach for Pathfinder Product and help clients implement strong Product practices so they can create products that their teams love building and their customers love using. Connect with me on LinkedIn or feel free to attend one of my events either virtually or in-person. Always up for meeting for a cup of coffee also!