The 1% Rule
Why 99% of business users find it hard to use a self-serve data platform. Because it’s actually DIY.
Many a time I have witnessed conversations between the business team and technology team that go something like this:
Biz: We don’t have data.
Tech: We have already given you the data.
Biz: We can’t find it.
Tech: Let me show you. It’s very simple. You go here, then you do this, click here, then click here, then do this, then do that …
Biz: ok. (scratches his head)
Every few weeks, this conversation would repeat for the same data. And the tech team would win the argument every time.
The tech team has spent significant time and money on democratizing data. They have built a self-serve data platform. They wonder why the business still complains of not having the data.
I believe the problem lies in the definition of self-serve. What the tech believes is self-serve, business believes is do-it-yourself. Most business users are not ready to spend time and effort on a DIY data platform.
As builders of data products, we need to remember the 1% rule — only 1% of users create content, while the other 99% only lurk. We cannot expect users to create their own dashboards and reports. 99% won’t.
