These are the steps on how to make sense of data collected in a customer interview.

When you have engaged with customers through a customer interview or a group customer gathering, you should have gathered lots of true data. It’s time to understand that data. There are two ways of doing that — both just as important. One is data synthesis and the other is sensemaking.

Sensemaking is where we believe it gets interesting at Listen + Do. Data synthesis is the act of ‘synthesising’ data — sorting and bucketing data, and grouping what you heard into categories. AI is becoming very good at that, but what AI can't do is pick up or ‘sense’ the context, the nuances, and the way things were said. That is still a very human part of this process, one AI will probably not get very good at for a long time.

Why sensemaking matters

The reason you do sensemaking is that it provides the space to sit and think about what you are seeing, hearing, and most importantly, feeling. Unconscious bias will come into play here, and that’s okay — acknowledge it though. For those that this word is new to, unconscious bias refers to the automatic and unintentional thoughts or feelings we have towards people or groups based on our background, experiences, and societal norms. These biases can shape our perceptions and decisions without us even realizing it. Since our values at listen + do are aligned with accessibility and inclusion, our bias is elevating the voices that are often ignored because other people don’t see or say it when it comes to exclusion. Your bias might be different.

Sensemaking is less about how many people said one thing and more about what is being said and why.

Visualising the data

When sensemaking, everyone has their own way of presenting the data so they can make sense of it or sort it. Here at Listen + Do we are super visual, and if we can, there is always big brown paper on the wall with data, quotes, and thoughts all up there. We use a bunch of sticky notes that can be moved around because moving data around to see if they “match” together is helpful in determining insights. Put it all on the wall, discuss it, move it around. Start with one thing and ask if you heard anyone else say it — what are your thoughts on it? Is it a standalone experience, or is there a theme?

Visually working through the data like this will help you start to get insights. You can also do this online using a tool like Miro — reading data, tagging data, and bucketing it. But with sensemaking, give every bit of data its time — ask if it means anything, what, and how it matters to your business.

Sensemaking as a team

It’s great to do sensemaking with other people or to do it separately for the same data and then come together to discuss it. In this process, discuss what each person witnessed and observed. Notice tensions and disagreements. There is no right or wrong, this or that. There are many things true at the same time. This is not “this or that” — it is “this and that.”

Landing on insights

You will need to land on a set of insights, though, and these are generally aligned with your initial goal — what you were talking to your customers about and why you were talking to them. What were you wanting to learn? Don’t throw any data away, though — bank them as “other insights.” They are all still important and helpful. Sensemaking is about feeling your way through the data as much as thinking about it. When you slow down, sit with it, and look for patterns and meaning, that’s when you unlock the real value.