How Useful Is Your Data?

Data comes in all shapes and sizes; you could classify it in a hundred and one different ways: categorical, ordinal, Boolean, composite… Here a couple of the less technically challenging – read eye-rollingly dull – categories:

Opinion or Observation

Opinions are what people think, so opinions are important.

• Some argue that “perception is reality” and opinions drive our behaviour. Consequently, opinions are the only type of data that matters.

Observations, however, are hard to dispute, they are measurable and quantifiable.

• Others argue that observations are the only measurements that matter.  The difference between observation and opinion is simply ignorance.

Input or Output

Output data shows the result, it is unequivocal.  If you really want to know what happened, measure the output, it will tell you the result.

• Unfortunately, what is done is done and the output cannot be changed.  There is no point crying over spilt milk.

Inputs are what caused the result, they show how it came about. But  input data isn’t perfect, it only indicates what might happen, and it isn’t totally reliable.

• The beauty of inputs is that you can change them; you can do something about what might happen.

Which is most useful?

Inputs and outputs, observations and opinions, they all have their place. but if you want to understand, predict and maybe change the future is there a clear winner?

Observations change before opinions do.  You might well be delivering the tastiest pizzas or giving the best service…. but it will take a while before your customers cotton on to the fact and let their opinions change.  Opinions are slow to develop.

Likewise, inputs change before outputs do. (I won’t go on to explain that one, even I am not that condescending — well not often.)

Speed of understanding

If you want to know what will happen next then input-observations will beat output-opinions hands down every time.

Something that is worth thinking about next time you run a customer survey and are unhappy with the result.

The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed ~ William Gibson