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

129 - Why We Stopped, Deleted 18 Months of ML Work, and Shifted to a Data Product Mindset at Coolblue

Oct 31, 2023

Marnix from Coolblue shares the story of why he threw out 18 months of data science work and shifted to a human-centered, product approach. He discusses the impact on his team, stakeholders, and his personal career. The podcast also explores the challenges of building a data product culture and improving data literacy.

35:21

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Quick takeaways

Shifting from a machine learning focus to a product mindset, Cool Blue recognized the importance of understanding customer needs and optimizing their e-commerce offerings for end users.

The team at Cool Blue learned the importance of involving stakeholders and end users in the solution development process, leading to the creation of impactful data products that addressed real organizational needs.

Deep dives

Transitioning to a Product Mindset

Marnix Venda Stolpe from Cool Blue explains how his team shifted from a machine learning focus to a product mindset in their data work. They recognized the importance of understanding customer needs and optimizing their e-commerce offerings for end users.

Introduction

3min

Cool Blue: Understanding Customer Needs and Delivery Optimization

1min

Stopping and Rerouting

14min

Building a Data Product Culture and the Challenges Faced

5min

Improving Data Literacy through Education and Application

13min

Sharing Experiences and Contact Information

2min

Today I’m joined by Marnix van de Stolpe, Product Owner at Coolblue in the area of data science. Throughout our conversation, Marnix shares the story of how he joined a data science team that was developing a solution that was too focused on the delivery of a data-science metric that was not on track to solve a clear customer problem. We discuss how Marnix came to the difficult decision to throw out 18 months of data science work, what it was like to switch to a human-centered, product approach, and the challenges that came with it. Marnix shares the impact this decision had on his team and the stakeholders involved, as well as the impact on his personal career and the advice he would give to others who find themselves in the same position. Marnix is also a Founding Member of the Data Product Leadership Community and will be going much more into the details and his experience live on Zoom on November 16 @ 2pm ET for members.

Highlights/ Skip to:

I introduce Marnix, Product Owner at Coolblue and one of the original members of the Data Product Leadership Community (00:35)
Marnix describes what Coolblue does and his role there (01:20)
Why and how Marnix decided to throw away 18 months of machine learning work (02:51)
How Marnix determined that the KPI (metric) being created wasn’t enough to deliver a valuable product (07:56)
Marnix describes the conversation with his data science team on mapping the solution back to the desired outcome (11:57)
What the culture is like at Coolblue now when developing data products (17:17)
Marnix’s advice for data product managers who are coming into an environment where existing work is not tied to a desired outcome (18:43)
Marnix and I discuss why data literacy is not the solution to making more impactful data products (21:00)
The impact that Marnix’s human-centered approach to data product development has had on the stakeholders at Coolblue (24:54)
Marnix shares the ultimate outcome of the product his team was developing to measure product returns (31:05)
How you can get in touch with Marnix (33:45)

Links

Coolblue: https://www.coolblue.nl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marnixvdstolpe/

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