Über die Wichtigkeit von Daten habe ich hier schon mehrfach berichtet, jetzt sind auch die Product Manager der neuen Dienste gefragt, Daten als Feature zu begreifen und
So, why build data as a feature?
Because everyone is being overwhelmed with data. Business users as well as consumers have data bombarding them from all angles. The challenge for people has shifted. They used to ask for more data all the time. Now they are getting too much of it. They want to get value out of it, but are overwhelmed.
Software developers are responding to this need by translating and presenting data to users in a way they can immediately grasp, and on which they can take action. They’re building data as a feature into their products and displaying that data in visually appealing, intuitive, and easily consumable ways.
In turn, product managers today face a significant addition to their duties—they now need to begin treating data as a feature in the products they’re building. In other words, not viewing data as only a byproduct of the apps they’re charged with developing, but as a prominent feature.
To do this successfully, it’s critical to understand who is going to be using the products, what their data needs are, and how a specific data-driven “slice of business functionality” could help users meet those needs.
To achieve this, “design thinking” is important, even critical. But even more so is “goal thinking”: what are users’ goals, and how do you present data in a way that helps them achieve those goals?
These are challenging questions, and product managers are the ones who have to bring it all together. They need to do all of the following:
Understand the data needs—and goals—of their users
Keep the apps they’re developing aligned with the goals of their businesses
Deliver exemplary user experiences with data within the confines of their current technical capacities
Balance the inputs of their developers, UX designers, and users with their own visions for their products so that they bring real value to market
