As a new content designer at Intuit working on QuickBooks (our accounting software), I wanted to learn everything I could about the application. The easy way would have been to set up my own test account with dummy data and a fake business. But I knew that wouldn’t really give me the insights I wanted. I needed to see how real small business customers actually used it.

Data-driven design is the process of developing or improving a product based on things you can measure.

Sensing his discomfort, I wanted to move on to the next question. But I waited. A few seconds. And a few more seconds. And then, Manoj spoke.