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Working with data is so much more than numbers, stats and numb, “emotionless” technologies.

When thinking of the work of a digital analyst, creativity is rarely the first thing that comes to mind. Among the amount of numbers, stats and numb, emotionless technologies we work with, it’s easy to think that it’s all cold-blooded data coming in and out.

But digital analytics is all about building appropriate models to work with, strategizing, asking the right questions, seeing patterns that are not obvious on the surface, presenting discoveries in a way that makes sense to others, and so much more. All of these tasks mentioned demand creativity.

When working with a client I always approach their data as one big puzzle that has to be solved. And to produce the best work I possibly can, I have to see patterns that are not obvious at first glance. A good analyst might take the data at face-value, present it, then move on.

But a great analyst looks beyond the data; they dig deeper and constantly ask themselves “Have I asked the right questions?” Knowing which questions to ask and what data to look for demands creativity.

To produce the best work I possibly can, I have to see patterns that are not obvious at first glance. A good analyst might take the data at face-value, present it, then move on. But a great analyst looks beyond the data; they dig deeper and constantly ask themselves “Have I asked the right questions?”

Of course, suggesting things that are not easy to see for the untrained eye comes with a risk, especially when dealing with management. They usually have an idea of what they want and need, whereas the data might tell a completely different story. The creative analyst can pick up on what’s missing and what can be done differently.

They also look at their work in a holistic way, taking into account the context they are working in, how it will help their client long-term, and not just for the moment, and how their data can be combined with other analysis.

What I mean with this is that our data is not working in a vacuum, completely isolated from the rest of the world. For example, someone working in sales for several years usually have much greater insight in the “offline” business world than me.

To be a great analyst I have to stay humble to this fact and take the salesperson’s great insights into account when working with my data. The greatest results then can be found between my data and those “offline” insights.

I love working with data precisely for these reasons. It is an endless journey of discovering insights and produce work that can lead to amazing results — with the help of creativity that is.

This article was originally published on my blog. For more reading check out my blog page https://tashina.se/blog/