By Denver Tracy
"Is the human soul a data point for your creative process? How much data is too much for a creative process? It depends on whom you ask." says Alexander Melton CEO of Dallas based Wyrmix
Mr. Melton recently caught up with to our creative director Denver Tracy to learn how he uses data within the creative process.
This is a must read for anyone interested in understanding Qualitative and Quantitative data.
In your creative process, how often do you find yourself leaning on experiences and intuition over hard numbers?
Honestly quite often. Consumer-centric is where I begin the creative process. This hinges on the emotional and psychological aspects of the users journey.
When you do lean on your past experiences, intuition, and market research that can’t be easily verified with numbers, how do you know you’re doing the right thing?
I love this question because, it reminds me of a quote from Charles E. Merrill of Merrill & Lynch (one of our country‘s largest investment firms) to paraphrase “when it comes to investing you should start in your own backyard. Where you shop day day as a consumer is a key indicator of where the economy is growing”
That’s what I look for. From social applications to creative platform tools and plug-ins to trending Amazon items these are all social indicators that can lead creative direction.
When you’re working on a creative project, what is your process for coming up with insights from data points such as experiences, intuition, and market research that can’t be verified with numbers?
When designing a product or application, I work to create a situation that looks or feels familiar to the user. So that I engage with their intuition to guide their decision making. Through their journey when things are presented to them, they begin to develop an instinct that tells them this feels right and comfortable.
How would you define qualitative data?
For me, qualitative data can help to answer the why and how behind what my customers do. Furthermore user interviews and observations are great sources of information for understanding how my customers act and think.
Do you think there is a tendency for agencies to over-prioritize quantitative data over qualitative?
They say numbers don't lie. And I believe for a complete statistical analysis, using both qualitative and quantitative always yields the best results.
Do you think that quantitative data is ever harder to measure than qualitative?
Hmmm ... I feel that when it comes to making decisions, data is everything. At the same time, however, good data should complement your organization’s story. And qualitative data allows you to get at that story—the one that numbers alone can’t quite capture.
Do you feel that your agency does a good job at balancing qualitative and quantitative data?
I do because, when we find a product, customer, or message that resonates through qualitative research, we learn how to best frame our quantitative tests. We gather dozens, and sometimes hundreds of insights that can drive our testing framework.
Do you agree or disagree with this statement: “Advertising is being completely data'd to death”
I disagree, because since the data revolution (in the early 2000s) there’s no going back. One quick search of ‘The Metaverse” is all you need to realize where we’re heading when it comes to data.