What makes Insights different from Findings?

For most of us, the title of this blog itself seems a bit fuzzy and must be wondering that gee isn't Insights the same as Observations which are the same as Findings. After all, these are words that are interchangeably used in common parlance. It is amusing how much people overuse them and sometimes unwittingly to describe their work, review or feedback to others. So we saw an opportunity here to elucidate and create clear differentiation with the hope of making the process of discerning the differences correctly.

First, Let's start with what makes an Insight. An Insight is a:

1. Microscope: Helps people understand the "why" behind the situation

2. Lighthouse: Helps people find a clear way to the shore, circumventing troubles

3. Catalyst: Brings speed & confidence to other’s decision making

These are nuggets of wisdom that can improve the quality of outcome, regardless of the person or the day, with everything else being the same. If the latter were untrue, then it is not an Insight but just a situational observation.

Next on our radar is "Findings"? Finding are conclusions drawn from a systematic study of facts or information collected. Findings are:

1. Objective and scientifically backed

2. Can validate or invalidate initial assumptions to help create new ones

Findings are a lot more common; Faster and easier to gather. Having the right hypothesis, a systematic analysis of information, can likely lead to interesting & informative findings. This is basically how you start your discovery process by gathering & sharing findings with stakeholders. Findings can drive an "Insights", once we are able to uncover the underlying why and it can drive an Outcome.

If the above still doesn't bring sufficient clarity, then let us enlighten with some examples below:

1. Finding: Employees that engage in "Work From Home" demonstrate 30% less satisfaction with work-life; Insight: When people share great rapport & trust with their team, and a nice Social circle outside work, "Work From Home" will boost Productivity.

2. Finding: Personalized content and feed, improves user engagement and repeat usage by 25%; Insight: By presenting assets of the type a user has enjoyed in past, Brands have a better chance of driving engagement

3. Finding: Effective Social distancing will dramatically reduce Covid - 19 Cases by over 80% over the next 3 weeks; Insight: Covid - 19 is a highly contagious virus, and by reducing human-to-human contact, we are reducing its multiplicative rate from 2.5 people to .8 person, which compounds to have a profound impact over a period of time.

4. Finding: Cash-backs and promotional offers increase cut CPA by 20% for consumer apps+; Insight: Often, users prioritize quick yields over long term utility of the product. So if you drive Quick yields more often, that will help you gain users faster.

We hope the above examples did shed light on this fuzzy yet important topic. To cut the long short,

Findings: Grasping & summarizing key facts in the situation

Insights: Grasping the "why" behind the observation, that can drive you towards a better outcome.

Thanks so much for reading!