If you view Data as a product, then we can ask product questions. Questions that help us to see the impact of our work, measure outcomes, and continually improve it over time. Jeff Gothelf recently looked at the application of product thinking for teams who work in areas such as HR. It also applies to data and business intelligence.
I have started a new role, working with health data scientists and BI engineers, and even though this is an area I have had less experience, I am seeing many of the same things (as well as the lack of the same things!) that I saw working in product teams making software. The data services teams that I am working with are structurally and executionally similar product teams I have worked in the past. Both understand data inputs, respond and refine these to produce a product or service and place this in the hands of end-users.
As a result, the same product questions that were asked when working in a multidisciplinary team, equally apply here. Questions about who is the user you’re designing for, what jobs they’re using your product for and how can you measure success in a way that helps you continually improve your product?
Who is the end-user — Who are you designing this for?
This is one of the first questions that need to be asked, and within health, it is never straightforward. In many cases, data products are ‘commissioned’ by stakeholders looking to get a read on a situation. However, this stakeholder can be a proxy for the…
