{"id":2448,"date":"2022-03-11T14:22:21","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T14:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/advancing-research-2022\/?page_id=2448"},"modified":"2022-03-11T14:22:21","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T14:22:21","slug":"day-2-building-a-product-insights-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/advancing-research-2022\/day-2-building-a-product-insights-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 2- Building a Product Insights Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Thanks everyone for introduction.<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2014 As Bria mentioned, I was head of business intelligence at HotJar, where I appreciated combining qual + quant insights to drive business growth<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2014 I\u2019m going to talk through the process of building our product and stats team<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 I have a toddler, and here he is skateboarding<\/div>\n
    \n
  • \n
    But why is he in the picture?<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \u2014 We are familiar with Spotify, which provides custom playlists to its listeners<\/div>\n
      \n
    • \n
      After I had my kid, the playlist changed to from what\u2019s above<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

       <\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \u2014 To the playlist here<\/div>\n

       <\/p>\n

      \u2014 \u00a0My original playlist was replaced with songs by a smiley faced watermelon, which helped soothe my son, but this wasn\u2019t what I wanted from my experience from Spotify<\/div>\n
        \n
      • \n
        What I liked from Spotify was that it was my go-to for music.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
      • \n
        If you looked at my data alone, it\u2019s easy to think my listening increases, but the types of music I listened have suddenly changed, hence the new playlist<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        <\/div>\n
        \u2014 A qualitative approach can capture these changes in human behavior to produce better solutions<\/div>\n
          \n
        • \n
          People have experienced services like this, and its up to companies to understand these things much better<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          <\/div>\n
          \u2014 Even a message acknowledging from Spotify my life change would have been huge<\/div>\n
            \n
          • \n
            Now Spotify is one of the best businesses today, but there is opportunity for room for growth and improvement<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

             <\/p>\n

            \"\"<\/p>\n

            \u2014 The combination of what and why is where true insights live, and where we will get maximum impact for the company<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            \"\"<\/p>\n

            \u2014 \u00a0Why this happens today, is that on one-end you have data analytics that live on one side , with lots of resources<\/div>\n

             <\/p>\n

            \u2014 And on the other end, UX research is smaller, and more neglected with less budget than desired<\/div>\n
              \n
            • \n
              Rarely do these teams work together in organizations<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              <\/div>\n
              \u2014 This is a big missed opportunity<\/div>\n

               <\/p>\n

              \"\"<\/p>\n

              \u2014 Both teams have the same goals though, to enable insights with maximum impact<\/div>\n
                \n
              • \n
                We build these teams and give them same goal, but don\u2019t have them work together<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
              • \n
                We know as professionals we will see the most meaningful results<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                \"\"<\/p>\n

                \u2014 What do both of these disciplines do in practice?<\/div>\n
                  \n
                • \n
                  Both start with user surveys and collecting data<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                • \n
                  Then they cleanse the data<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                • \n
                  Then they analyze the data<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                • \n
                  They they ultimately try to deliver insights to a business<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  \u2014 The analogy is that of sifting through sand for nuggets of gold<\/div>\n
                    \n
                  • \n
                    Goal is to create refinery to create nuggets and gold bars of insight for an organization<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                     <\/p>\n

                    \"\"<\/p>\n

                    \u2014 So how did we get started?<\/div>\n
                      \n
                    • \n
                      The change wouldn\u2019t happen overnight<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                      <\/div>\n
                      \u2014 It was a huge transition at HotJar, as the company relied on qualitative research, with relatively little rigor in the analytics stack<\/div>\n

                       <\/p>\n

                      \u2014 But as the BI team was built out, amount of requests and demand rapidly increased<\/div>\n
                        \n
                      • \n
                        We moved to solely quant, before moving to happy medium<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                        <\/div>\n
                        \u2014 In our case, we developed a shared hypothesis of the ICP or ideal customer profile, which was a great place to get started<\/div>\n
                          \n
                        • \n
                          It\u2019s a good use case where research of qual and quant could be combined<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                           <\/p>\n

                           <\/p>\n

                          \"\"<\/p>\n

                          \u2014 We got stated by bringing in an analyst, manager, and user researcher<\/div>\n
                            \n
                          • \n
                            We did the natural thing of looking at the data, taking the longest paying customers and reviewing demographic profile data alone<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                          • \n
                            But there was great insight within qualitative areas like marketing and broader analytics data<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                            <\/div>\n
                            \u2014 As we grew the ideal customer profile, looking at the data alone was like only looking at product and marketing done today<\/div>\n
                              \n
                            • \n
                              But this is not where biggest opportunity lies long-term<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                              <\/div>\n
                              \u2014We combined research we had done to inform our decisions<\/div>\n
                              <\/div>\n

                               <\/p>\n

                              \"\"<\/p>\n

                              \u2014 We began with data collection to understand what data we had about customers, and associated market trends<\/div>\n

                               <\/p>\n

                              \u2014 Then while doing data analysis, we bounced our ideas off each other, which we saw during the analysis<\/div>\n
                                \n
                              • \n
                                Analysts and UXRs interacted<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                <\/div>\n
                                \u2014 When insights were delivered, we had shared understanding, alignment in data collection, and cross-pollination of info during analysis<\/div>\n
                                  \n
                                • \n
                                  This led to more buy-in from the company, as the insights were integrated into company decision making<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                                • \n
                                  We set foundations and best practices to figure out how to roll-out the information to the org<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                   <\/p>\n

                                  \"\"<\/p>\n

                                  \u2014 So how to roll out the information across the org?<\/div>\n
                                    \n
                                  • \n
                                    Even small size and scale for HotJar, challenges are similar with minimal buy-in<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                    <\/div>\n
                                    \u2014 We found effectiveness by showing decreases in redundant research efforts, and increasing insight actions based on combined research done<\/div>\n
                                      \n
                                    • \n
                                      Even a few cases, where we showed time-saved in one instance, or applied actions in another, had a big impact<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                       <\/p>\n

                                      \"\"<\/p>\n

                                      \u2014 We then thought of the model that will best for work for business.<\/div>\n

                                       <\/p>\n

                                      \u2014 No right or wrong model that can be chosen over another<\/div>\n
                                        \n
                                      • \n
                                        Models include an embedded model<\/div>\n
                                          \n
                                        • \n
                                          Self-sustaining team or squad in each, broken down by area of expertise<\/div>\n
                                            \n
                                          • \n
                                            Pro: Can build domain expertise<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                                          • \n
                                            Con: No built in redundancy and gains in knowledge. Poor knowledge sharing<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                             <\/p>\n

                                            \"\"<\/p>\n

                                            \u2014 Another model is a Center of Excellence, and centralized requests coming into the team<\/div>\n
                                              \n
                                            • \n
                                              This model began at HotJar, as we could have broad overview of business drivers, and making sure our work was aligned with company OKRs,<\/div>\n
                                                \n
                                              • \n
                                                Made it easy for us to say no to requests<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                                              • \n
                                                Good for setting best practices and sharing knowledge in org, but not good in building specialized knowledge<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                 <\/p>\n

                                                \"\"<\/p>\n

                                                \u2014 \u00a0We slowly moved to another hybrid model, with COE and embedded teams, focused on individual teams within the organization<\/div>\n
                                                  \n
                                                • \n
                                                  If one goes on holiday, we will be able to deploy<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                                                • \n
                                                  Analysts and researchers could build domain expertise, while experiencing general knowledge sharing<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                  <\/div>\n
                                                  \u2014 Don\u2019t think of right model to choose, but look at your org, and see what works best<\/div>\n
                                                    \n
                                                  • \n
                                                    In any case, take control of the backlog and position yourself as delivering value for the company, as opposed to being just a service center for the business<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                                                  • \n
                                                    Take time to communicate effectively in the org, and help understand where you are driving impact for the company<\/div>\n
                                                      \n
                                                    • \n
                                                      If you are clear in your communications you will win at the end of the day<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                       <\/p>\n

                                                      \"\"<\/p>\n

                                                      \u2014 Many organizations like Spotify, and Shopify have leveraged these analytics practices<\/p>\n

                                                       <\/p>\n

                                                      \"\"<\/p>\n

                                                      \u2014 We want to break down data silos to broader process, where we work together and grasp what data is collected, cleansing, and building out a refinery for golden insights for our organization<\/p>\n

                                                       <\/p>\n

                                                      \"\"<\/p>\n

                                                      \u2014 This will let us create more experiences that inspire, and help us build products that we love<\/div>\n
                                                        \n
                                                      • \n
                                                        Always more room for improvement, and I\u2019d love to hear from you<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                                                      • \n
                                                        Reach out to me via Twitter, LinkedIn<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                        <\/div>\n
                                                        \u2014 Thank you!<\/div>\n

                                                         <\/p>\n

                                                        \"\"<\/p>\n

                                                        Q&A<\/span><\/div>\n
                                                        <\/div>\n
                                                          \n
                                                        1. \n
                                                          I love the idea of a shared hypothesis and shared insights concept? Have you found it useful to bring it to the marketing team?<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                                                          <\/div>\n
                                                          \u2014> Absolutely. Marketing will be biggest advocates for company and are the best way to communicate value effectively to rest of company<\/div>\n
                                                          <\/div>\n
                                                            \n
                                                          1. \n
                                                            For a hybrid model, how is workload distributed across squads?<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                                                            <\/div>\n
                                                            \u2014> We have an analyst with domain expertise like acquisitions be deployed to projects dealing with specific \u00a0OKRs<\/div>\n

                                                             <\/p>\n

                                                            \u2014> Business structured was reflected in analysis structure for projects, which flowed down to the rest of the team<\/div>\n
                                                            <\/div>\n
                                                              \n
                                                            1. \n
                                                              How to manage resistance to collaboration between UX and marketing?<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                                                              <\/div>\n
                                                              \u2014> Little resistance, due to scale and size of company. More resistance within a big organization<\/div>\n
                                                                \n
                                                              • \n
                                                                Since we were deliberate, we were able to streamline effectively<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                <\/div>\n
                                                                  \n
                                                                1. \n
                                                                  How does content and UX writing fit into the insights team?<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                                                                  <\/div>\n
                                                                  \u2014> Something I have not thought about before, but something that needs to be included<\/div>\n
                                                                    \n
                                                                  • \n
                                                                    Doing a lot of research for writing, and it can be good collaboration to consider<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                    <\/div>\n
                                                                      \n
                                                                    1. \n
                                                                      How to keep track of all data sources coming in and synthesize them?<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                                                                      <\/div>\n
                                                                      \u2014> Not easy, and I started from scratch at one point<\/div>\n
                                                                        \n
                                                                      • \n
                                                                        I had segment analytics with same data-set across different tools, and have consistency across the board<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                        <\/div>\n
                                                                        \u2014> Originally just moving information into Confluence, but Confluence is not ideal for this service.<\/div>\n
                                                                          \n
                                                                        • \n
                                                                          \u00a0I left HotJar to build out a more ideal type of repository tool at Avrio<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                                           <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                                                          \u2014 \u00a0Thanks everyone for introduction.   \u2014 As Bria mentioned, I was head of business intelligence at HotJar, where I appreciated combining qual + quant insights to drive business growth   \u2014 I\u2019m going to talk through the process of building our product and stats team   \u2014 I have a toddler, and here he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1485,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2448","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/advancing-research-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/advancing-research-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/advancing-research-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/advancing-research-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1485"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/advancing-research-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2448"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/advancing-research-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2586,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/advancing-research-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2448\/revisions\/2586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/advancing-research-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}