“At Google, we believe that data beats opinion” runs the intro to Google’s new Think Insights venture - essentially a compilation of some of its original research on a microsite. Think Insights is something every researcher should have a look at - my initial reactions on Twitter were pretty negative but having dug around a bit more I think it’s an interesting exercise, a mix of the very good and the oddly disappointing.
The Good: What I liked about Think Insights is the layout - a microsite with:
- a two-minute video summary of the messages
- a clear, easy-to-read deck
- infographics
- case studies
- interviews and press
This is a very clean, impressive way of presenting research, designed to give the lingering visitor plenty to dig into while satisfying the time-poor with entertainingly presented highlights. Everything’s been laid out well and there’s no attempts to bamboozle or hustle you. It’s not particularly complex or groundbreaking but it works.
The Bad: I found the actual content disappointing. We’re promised “insights” but there’s not a lot new here, and the video summaries in particular seem glib. But the slideware is well-presented, the questions sound and to-the-point, the conclusions follow from the data. But… but… I’m still disappointed. Why?
Because, dammit, it’s just research slideware! Perfectly good research slideware, highly competent, it would be a credit to any SRE who put it together. But this is Google! They have more data than anyone on Earth, they practically make a religion of it, and when it comes to actually producing “insights” what do they do? They go and do a 5000-sample meat and potatoes study full of self-reported behavioural data, based on guessy questions like “How much did you spend on smartphone purchases in the last year?”. Where’s the dazzling number-crunching? Where’s the wow factor?
As a researcher, I’ve lived in masochistic awe of Google for a while now: I’ve read blog after blog implying that if Google just flicked its pinky my industry would be shattered. So what I want from a Google insights site is to be humbled. I want them to take petabytes of user data and crunch it into platinum-tipped arrows of devastating truth. If they’re going to come on like pitiless empiricists, wielding the flaming sword of data against the flabby legions of opinion, then I don’t want to pull back the curtain and find a…. survey.
Grossly unfair, I’m sure, but there you are.
