The Power of Human Insights and Creating Successful Products

The Power of Human Insights and Creating Successful Products

Introduction:

In the world of technology and product development, two key elements contribute to success: the ability to harness human insights and understanding the difference between features and products. Microsoft's Human Insights Library, known as HITS, serves as a living body of knowledge that empowers researchers and product teams to unlock their collective UX power. By tracing connections between individual insights and fostering a culture that supports its use, HITS becomes a network of connected evidence and insight, enabling the optimization of research and data science efforts.

Harnessing Human Insights through HITS:

HITS serves as a centralized platform that allows research and data science teams at Microsoft to author and curate insights, recommendations, study reports, and curated collections of high-level knowledge based on user research. The nodes within HITS represent individual insights, while the connections between these nodes represent the references made by researchers and data scientists as they utilize the system. This enables users to not only pull up specific insights but also understand the evidence supporting them and trace them back to their original sources. By synthesizing insights in a way that optimizes for durability and reuse across time, HITS provides a solution that enhances research practices and drives long-term value.

Real-Time Curation for Long-Term Value:

To ensure the durability and usefulness of insights within HITS, Microsoft has implemented a concept called "real-time curation." This involves integrating curation into the daily research practice and providing tools to support this process. While addressing short-term needs is crucial, the focus on longer-term value has proven to be equally important. Real-time curation allows researchers and data scientists to actively contribute to the growth of HITS, ensuring that insights are continuously updated and refined. By embedding curation into the research workflow, Microsoft creates a culture that values knowledge sharing and encourages the development of a comprehensive body of insights.

Understanding the Difference Between Features and Products:

In the realm of product development, it is essential to distinguish between features and products. Features are specific functionalities that a product offers, while products provide solutions for a range of situations falling within situational segments. To create successful products, it is crucial to identify how existing behaviors can be made more efficient or how new behaviors can be empowered and enabled by building upon existing ones. By focusing on the broader context and understanding the situational segments where a product will be utilized, companies can develop solutions that cater to the needs and aspirations of their target audience.

Connecting the Dots for Success:

While HITS enables the collection and organization of human insights, understanding the difference between features and products provides a framework for product development. These two aspects are interconnected, as human insights drive the creation of successful products. By leveraging the insights stored within HITS, product teams can identify opportunities for enhancing existing behaviors or enabling new ones. This connection between human insights and product development is crucial for delivering solutions that resonate with users and meet their evolving needs.

Actionable Advice:

• 1. Embrace a Culture of Knowledge Sharing: Encourage researchers and data scientists to actively contribute to the growth of a centralized insights library like HITS. By fostering a culture that values knowledge sharing, companies can unlock the collective power of their teams and create a comprehensive body of knowledge.

• 2. Prioritize Long-Term Value: While addressing short-term needs is important, it is equally crucial to invest in the long-term value of insights. Implement real-time curation practices that integrate knowledge refinement into the daily research practice, ensuring that insights remain relevant and useful over time.

• 3. Understand User Situational Segments: When developing products, focus on understanding the situational segments where the product will be utilized. By identifying existing behaviors that can be made more efficient or building upon them to empower new behaviors, companies can create products that align with users' needs and aspirations.

Conclusion:

Microsoft's Human Insights Library and the understanding of the difference between features and products are two vital components in the world of technology and product development. HITS serves as a centralized platform for harnessing human insights, enabling researchers and product teams to unlock their collective UX power. By embracing real-time curation and fostering a culture of knowledge sharing, companies can leverage HITS to drive long-term value and create successful products. Understanding the situational segments where these products will be utilized allows for the development of solutions that cater to users' needs and aspirations. By connecting the dots between human insights and product development, companies can pave the way for innovation and user-centric solutions.