The human side of data: connecting the numbers to emotion

In my experience, I’ve found that viewing data like this is a gross oversimplification that misses its potential. So why do we want to use data in the first place? After all, data alone is just information. Instead, it’s the way we interpret it and take action against it that makes data valuable, as it moves from being static to dynamic one, as we use it to uncover insights and settle uncertain waters. If you engross yourself in the world of data – reading eBooks and blogs, listening to how people overcome the challenges surrounding data and its management, and the astonishing advancements we’ve made over the recent years – you’ll quickly realise that many of these topics speak about data and its impact from a technology point of view. Informed decision-making, siloed data, navigating compliance, reducing risk are all common topics covered in a lot of the content I come across. Whilst many of these pieces are important to consider and get right, a core attribute about data is commonly left out which is the connection and impact data has on our emotions.

Data is the fact behind the logic

When we’re making a proposal or suggestion, the anchor we typically use to stabilise the idea is data. It's important to recognise that while the data itself holds value, what you’re truly selling the audience is not just numbers, but the confidence, security, and peace of mind that data can provide our next step. Data serves as a comfortable, soft backstop as it mitigates risk by demonstrating that grounded, rational suggestions are being made because ‘the data says so’. Data isn’t the decision maker – it’s the enabler that gives you the confidence to execute. This means that whilst we tend to give the impression that we’re simply building a rational case, what we’re actually doing is building emotional buy-in. The decisions we make are often emotionally driven and emotionally born, meaning we first make a decision or judgement based on emotion, and then justify with logic and facts. Think about when you booked your last holiday destination – I doubt it began with a spreadsheet, but rather an emotional impulse. Which leads into another interesting observation; the use of intuition shouldn’t and can’t be ignored when it comes to how we make decisions.

Intuition

The quiet part that doesn’t get said out-loud is that we constantly use our intuition when making a case for something we’re emotionally bought into. We do, however, tend to present data as being completely impartial, removing all guesswork from the equation. This is all while acknowledging and appreciating that data rarely paints a full picture due to incomplete or inaccuracies. Why? Well admitting we’re using more than just the data puts us on the spot because the human element is hard to quantify and defend, so we’d rather use data as an authoritative shield to back up what the human element. What we should acknowledge is that thoughtful, creative, and nuanced decisions come from more than just data, because data is just one (albeit very large) piece of a larger puzzle. Let’s take customer feedback for example. If you’re treating feedback from your customers as just a quantitative exercise, you’re going to miss the point. Zooming into individual comments you see the unique joy, frustration, and relief that you can’t shove into a bar chart. Which of these two hypothetical statements evokes more emotion and gives us more insight into our customers?

One is a cold, hard fact, and the other makes you feel, which is more powerful than simply knowing something, as it’s providing a platform to build intuition alongside the quantitative facts. Analysing customers with nothing but statement 1 means building for the average, which tends to alienate many potential customers, as humans are more nuanced and less rational than a couple of data points. Instead, if we use all of this information together, it allows us to deliver a product or service that provides the warm, fuzzy feeling that keeps people coming back. This shifts data from being a cold and dispassionate force, to a powerful emotional driver. Leaders want to feel confident, customers want to feel valued, and employees want to feel secure. Is there a better tool than data to do this? Despite this article being devoid of any referenceable hard facts, I suspect that a large majority of you will resonate with it in a way that is hard to articulate or quantify – which is exactly my point.

So where does this leave us?

As we become increasingly data-reliant, I believe that the companies that will thrive are the ones that realise data is only as valuable as the story it allows you to tell, and that it’s the resulting resonance – not cold hard facts alone – that will drive true success. We therefore have to think about how we use and present data, and how we interpret it or use it to excite. The future of data is human. At Claranet, we don’t build for the average – we build for you. Speak to one of our data specialists to understand more about the power data has for your business.