How to get your stakeholders to understand a large dataset

Two techniques for adding quantitative depth to your qualitative research.

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

Working with large datasets has made me realize the importance of making sure people start from the same place. I recently had to summarize survey and remote testing findings from over 130 participants for my stakeholders, and to do that, I needed to use a quantitative approach.

The typical ways I presented user findings, such as utilizing user quotes, didn’t seem appropriate with such a large dataset. Still, I didn’t think that going with complex quantitative research methods would be very helpful either. So I adopted two Exploratory Data Analysis techniques to convey findings to my stakeholders.

Exploratory Data Analysis

“The greatest value of a picture is when it forces us to notice what we never expected to see.”-John Tukey

Exploratory Data Analysis is an idea that originated from John Tukey and has been largely adopted by the Data Science community. The idea is simple: Before you can even begin testing your ideas against evidence, it’s a good idea to get a feel for your data.