Experiencing Data w/ Brian T. O’Neill (UX for AI Data Products, SAAS Analytics, Data Product Management)

128 - Data Products for Dummies and The Importance of Data Product Management with Vishal Singh of Starburst

Oct 17, 2023

Vishal Singh, Head of Data Products at Starburst and co-author of Data Products for Dummies, discusses the importance of defining data products and shares his definition. He explains tactics for gathering feedback, the challenges of user feedback during iteration, and the danger of sunk cost bias. Vishal also describes the role of a Data Product Manager and highlights the value of self-service usability and good design for data products.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Defining Data Products

01:32 • 24min

Approaching Data Driven Solutions as Data Products

25:37 • 4min

Importance of Self-Service Usability and Good Design for Data Products

29:13 • 3min

The Value of Data Product Containers for Sales

32:17 • 2min

Measuring Design and User-Friendliness

33:52 • 20min

Discussion on Data Products, Book Recommendations, and Upcoming Starburst Summit

54:19 • 2min

Spelling, Events, Contact Info, and Audience Participation

56:35 • 2min

Today I’m joined by Vishal Singh, Head of Data Products at Starburst and co-author of the newly published e-book, Data Products for Dummies. Throughout our conversation, Vishal explains how the variations in definitions for a data product actually led to the creation of the e-book, and we discuss the differences between our two definitions. Vishal gives a detailed description of how he believes Data Product Managers should be conducting their discovery and gathering feedback from end users, and how his team evaluates whether their data products are truly successful and user-friendly.

Highlights/ Skip to:

I introduce Vishal, the Head of Data Products at Starburst and contributor of the e-book Data Products for Dummies (00:37)
Vishal describes how his customers at Starburst all had a common problem, but differing definitions of a data product, which led to the creation of his e-book (01:15)
Vishal shares his one-sentence definition of a data product (02:50)
How Vishal’s definition of a data product differs from mine, and we both expand on the possibilities between the two (05:33)
The tactics Vishal uses to useful feedback to ensure the data products he develops are valuable for end users (07:48)
Why Vishal finds it difficult to get one on one feedback from users during the iteration phase of data product development (11:07)
The danger of sunk cost bias in the iteration phase of data product development (13:10)
Vishal describes how he views the role of a DPM when it comes to doing effective initial discovery (15:27)
How Vishal structures his teams and their interactions with each other and their end users (21:34)
Vishal’s thoughts on how design affects both data scientists and end users (24:16)
How DPMs at Starburst evaluate if the data product design is user-friendly (28:45)
Vishal’s views on where Designers are valuable in the data product development process (35:00)
Vishal and I discuss the importance of ensuring your products truly solve your user’s problems (44:44)
Where you can learn more about Vishal’s upcoming events and the e-book, Data Products for Dummies (49:48)

Links

Starburst: https://www.starburst.io/
Data Products for Dummies: https://www.starburst.io/info/data-products-for-dummies/
“How to Measure the Impact of Data Products with Doug Hubbard”: https://designingforanalytics.com/resources/episodes/080-how-to-measure-the-impact-of-data-productsand-anything-else-with-forecasting-and-measurement-expert-doug-hubbard/
Trino Summit: https://www.starburst.io/info/trinosummit2023/
Galaxy Platform: https://www.starburst.io/platform/starburst-galaxy/
Datanova Summit: https://www.starburst.io/datanova/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/singhsvishal/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vishal_singh