Data products are making your life easier all the time, but what really is a data product?
A primer not only for product designers.
We live in a world made of information, so it’s not a surprise that data products are running a growing share of your personal and professional life.
But what really is a data product?
Data products are tools that process, generate or display information to help you make better or more informed decisions, and be more efficient at what you do.
The weather app on your phone is the simplest example of a data product. You analyse information presented to you and act accordingly, dressing warmer or taking an umbrella with you.
What can a data product do for you?
Algorithm & Automation — you run data through an algorithm, and it performs a sequence of steps to show you all the invoices for a customer whose contract you scanned or all the stores selling sneakers you screenshotted in a video.
Decision Support — shows you information so that you can act on what you see, introduce changes, or do nothing if everything is going according to plan with your Q3 sales targets or your weekly fitness activity.
Decision Making — an automated decision-making loop that will pick the next customer you should approach with an investment opportunity, or recommend your next favourite series to binge on.
What does a data product look like?
Interface element with data — live charts, price graphs, availability calendars that guide your decisions, or power simple workflows by integrating a data product into web and mobile apps.
Dashboard or visualisation — operational dashboards displaying information you can act on, and analytical dashboards focused on exploring relationships, comparison, composition, and distribution of measured variables.
API — program-to-program connections making data available for other applications to use.
Start learning to work with data today. There will be only more of it.
In the oversupply of data, designers’ ability to identify problems and iterate on solutions will help you create value for others in their personal or professional lives more than ever before.
Try this one next if you’re interested in what makes data so valuable.👇
