Using Data Effectively: Beyond Art and Science | Hilary Parker | WiDS 2019

Hilary Parker, Data Scientist, Stitchfix

Data is the lifeblood of every organization. Whatever our job title, each of us uses data to get our job done — from observing a running system to improving performance to building a machine-learned model. This talk is about approaches and techniques to collect the most useful data we can, analyze it in a scientific way, and use it most effectively to drive actions and decisions.

Is using data effectively an art or a science? It is both. Theart‚Äù helps us decide theright‚Äù way to approach an analysis or an algorithm. Thescience‚Äù applies statistical rigor to our inferences. But with only the art and the science, we miss something critically important. In this talk, I suggest that, beyond both art and science, the fundamental questions we need to ask of our data should be informed by the field of design and design thinking. Every designer needs to understand their intended user, whether they are designing a physical object, experimenting on a recommendation system, or making a launch decision about a product. That focus on the why — instead of just the how and the what — takes us to the next level.

This talk with leave you with actionable insights about how to apply the lens of design thinking to help you use data more effectively in your everyday job.