Product Development and Data Storytelling by Pinterest Product Leader, Jon Yeo

What is data storytelling?

“Data storytelling is the ability to effectively communicate insights from a dataset using narratives and visualizations. It can be used to put data insights into context for and inspire action from your audience.” Harvard Business School

The WHY?s

  1. Why are we here?

    1. a) To learn a practical ways to tell stories with data

  1. Why learn how to tell stories with data

    1. a) Getting insights from data is a superpower (without it, it`s just opinions floating around). By knowing how to tell stories using data, you are a superpowered product leader!

  1. Why develop this superpower?

    1. a) Building Product is about solving problems for People. Data gives you the power to understand people problem and get a group of people to help solve it together.

Building Product is about solving problems for People. With data storytelling skills, you have the power to understand a problem and get a group of people to help solve it together.

Brainstorm what questions you need to answer and make an outline. My preferred framework for a data powered story.

  1. What people problem are we trying to solve?

    a) Start with personal experience, other people experience, ask the audience if they ever had this experience with the relevant problem.

  2. How do we know if it`s a real problem?

    a) Use qualitative and/or quantitative by using data

    b) General format that I used

    1. I. Show data

      II. Reason about the data, possibly make some assumptions

      III. Recommented an improvement

      IV. Then repeat for other points of data

      V. Make a full recommendation

  1. How would the world be different if we solve this problem? The success criteria

    a) Setting up the definition of success for your team via measurable goals and metrics. Measurable means there is a criteria for if our team did this thing to solve the problem then the result will help me determine if it was a success.

What do you do once you crafted your story?

  1. Assume people will see your slides without you there. Make sure each slide is simple and have enough context for people to read through.

  2. You want to prepare for questions and stress test your ideas. This means findings a small group of trusted people at the company to improve your presentation and get questions you might not have thought of.

  3. Once it`s ready, share it widely and especially to the most relevant stakeholders to get support for your idea and get the discussion going to put resources into this product work

    a. Email your team, manager, and other relevant people who will support your idea

    b. Share on Slack in relevant channels

    c. Set up meetings to share what belief

  4. Once there is alignment from all needed parties on what you are setting out to solve, then it`s time to build a solution for the people problem!

Skills needed to use data & Useful resources

  • Learn SQL (Python/R are a plus!)

    • Udemy, Coursera, SQLZoo

  • Learn data visualization

    • Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization at UC Davis on Coursera

  • Userful content for going into produce development

    • Making Good Decisions as a Product Manager by Brandon Chu

    • Metrics Versus Experience by Julie Zhuo

    • The Agony and Ecstasy of Building with Data by Julie Zhuo

Your Presentation Checklist

Summary

  • “Product Development Team Assemble!”

    • Building Product is about solving problems for People. With data storytelling skills, you have the power to understand a problem and get a group of people to help solve it together.

  • You want to be able to answer these 3 questions using data before any product work

    • What problem are we trying to solve for people?

    • How do we know if it`s a real problem?

    • How would the world be different if we solve this problem?

Jon Yeo, Pinterest Product Leader