The Analytics Power Hour
Michael Helbling, Moe Kiss, Tim Wilson, Val Kroll, and Julie Hoyer
Attend any conference for any topic and you will hear people saying after that the best and most informative discussions happened in the bar after the show. Read any business magazine and you will find an article saying something along the lines of "Business Analytics is the hottest job category out there, and there is a significant lack of people, process and best practice." In this case the conference was eMetrics, the bar was….multiple, and the attendees were Michael Helbling, Tim Wilson and Jim Cain (Co-Host Emeritus). After a few pints and a few hours of discussion about the cutting edge of digital analytics, they realized they might have something to contribute back to the community. This podcast is one of those contributions. Each episode is a closed topic and an open forum - the goal is for listeners to enjoy listening to Michael, Tim, and Moe share their thoughts and experiences and hopefully take away something to try at work the next day. We hope you enjoy listening to the Digital Analytics Power Hour.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 11, 2022 • 1h 18min
#184: Psychological Safety and Analytics with J.D. Long
Mistakes happen. In healthy work environments, not only is that fact acknowledged, it's recognized as an opportunity to learn. That's something JD Long has been thinking about quite a bit over the past few years, and he joined the show for a chat about psychological safety: what it is, why it's important, and different techniques for engendering it. Michael trolled Tim almost immediately, which is: 1) ironic, and 2) slated to be addressed in a blameless post-mortem. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Dec 28, 2021 • 1h 12min
#183: 2021 Year in Review with Josh Crowhurst
We did it! Another year in the books, and 2021 was a bit of a ride. As we do every year, on this episode we reflect a little bit on the podcast and then a lot on the industry: what the major themes of 2021 were, and what we think might be coming in 2022. Google Analytics 4, 3rd party cookies, remote work and Zoom meetings, and even the metaverse! Plus, of course, this is our annual excuse to get our executive producer, Josh Crowhurst, on a mic! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Dec 14, 2021 • 1h 9min
#182: Making Better Decisions and Being Useful with Cassie Kozyrkov
Some would say that, given the breadth and depth of data that is available to businesses these days, a surefire path to business value is to load up a department with smart data scientists, task them with developing a solid machine learning strategy, and then execute that strategy. The people who've said that might take issue with this episode. Cassie Kozyrkov joined the show to discuss decision-making: what it is, how we often frame decisions too narrowly, and the different roles data can play to support the process. And much, much more! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Nov 30, 2021 • 1h 3min
#181: Qualitative + Quantitative = A Meet Cute for the Ages with Jenni Bruckman
It's a podcast episode. That's WHAT it is. But… WHY should you listen to it? Exactly. Or, perhaps, that's exactly WHY! Are you confused? You won't be after checking out our discussion with Jenni Bruckman about the vast and varied world of qualitative research and how it is the perfect partner to quantitative data. Give it a listen, and then let us know WHY you did and WHAT you thought of it! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Nov 16, 2021 • 1h 1min
#180: Media Mix Modeling - Does It Deserve at Least a Third of Our Love?
Hey there, mister. That's a mighty nice multi-touch attribution model you're using there. It would be a shame to see it get mixed up with a media model. Or... would it? What happens if you think about media mix models as a tool that can be combined with experimentation to responsibly measure the incrementality of your marketing (while also still finding a crust of bread in the corner for so-called "click attribution")? According to a 2019 paper published by ThirdLove (which happens to have been Michael's last call on our last episode), that's a pretty nice way to go, and we thought it would be fun to see if we could raise Tim's blood pressure by giving him something to vigorously agree with for once. It was. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Nov 2, 2021 • 1h 5min
#179: Teaching Data Nerds How to Work with... People with James Hayes
What does neuroscience have to do with the work of the analyst? It turns out that neuroplasticity is to the modern analyst what plastics were to Benjamin Braddock, and it all comes down to Hebb's Law. Or, put another way, successfully working with peers and stakeholders can take some focused effort, some feedback, and some practice, and that's what "coach" James Hayes joined the episode to discuss! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
21 snips
Oct 19, 2021 • 1h 18min
#178: The Modern Dashboard Dilemma
Dive into a whimsical journey through the history of data dashboards, as hosts share personal anecdotes about their simpler past. Explore the complexities of modern dashboard design and the importance of clarity in visualization. Learn about common pitfalls in dashboard creation, emphasizing stakeholder engagement over data overload. Discover best practices for user experience and the need for continuous improvement. Finally, enjoy a lighthearted quiz segment that unveils the humor in analytics misinterpretations.
Oct 5, 2021 • 1h 18min
#177: Design Thinking, Empathy, and the Analyst with Hilary Parker
What is a system without empathy? What is a show summary without an attempt to overly distill the discussion to the point of sounding like nonsense? On this episode, Hilary Parker (who you may know from the Not So Standard Deviations podcast or elsewhere) joined us to discuss what we can learn from the design process (as in: actual designers) when it comes to analytics and data science. Among other things, that mindset highlights the importance of the analyst empathizing with stakeholders. Tim got very uncomfortable. Michael said he understood Tim's discomfort. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Sep 21, 2021 • 1h 10min
#176: Analytics on the High Seas: Data at the Helm of an Aircraft Carrier with Capt. Paul Lanzilotta
Stop for a minute and think about the highest stakes campaign or test you've ever run. Were you nervous? Now, instead, imagine that you're on an aircraft carrier with a few thousand people on board whose safety you are responsible for, and your team is about to watch 40,000 tons of ordnance detonate (in an environmentally friendly way) right next to the ship... so you can collect data to verify that the various systems are working as expected. On this episode, our guest can't really talk about the former situation, but he can discuss the latter in depth: Capt. Paul Lanzilotta is the commanding officer of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the lead ship in the latest class of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. Perspective, much? For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Sep 7, 2021 • 1h 8min
#175: Searching to Be a Better Analyst with Wil Reynolds
As analysts, it can be easy to get so focused on the data that we lose sight of the imperative that we answer meaningful questions (aka: validating relevant hypotheses). On this episode, we sat down with Wil Reynolds, co-founder and accidental lead generator for SEER Interactive, for a discussion that turned out to be about curiosity and the power of trying to prove yourself wrong (and being willing to invest the time to do so!). In the end, we concluded that Wil has always been a "data person," even if he doesn't necessarily see himself as such. That is... actually kinda' profound! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
