DP21 rewind: 4 ‘Data Literacy’ sessions worth (re)watching

Now that I’ve shared not only what data agility means but what Domopalooza 2021 sessions on the topic are worth watching (or even re-watching), it’s time to focus on the second of the three pillars that form the foundation of modern BI for all: data literacy. 
 
As Domo CEO Josh James said during the DP21 keynote, data literacy is about making data more accessible and useful to everyone. 
 
“It’s not about hiring or training up more analysts, like the approach of traditional BI,” he said. “It’s about giving regular people the confidence to leverage data in their day-to-day.” 
 
When an organization is full of individuals who have access to data and understand how to use it, it breeds something that can change everything: curiosity. 
 
That’s because curiosity leads to questions. It’s a major mindset change that, in turn, leads to discovery, and new opportunities.   
 
“Where traditional BI was more about repeatable answers, modern BI is all about questions,” Josh said. “When it’s easier to ask questions, you come up with the kind you didn’t even think to ask before.” 
 
Domopalooza 2021 offered no shortage of examples of data literacy done right. For a complete list of the sessions that focused on that core element of modern BI, click here. For summaries of—and links to—the most popular data literacy sessions to date, keep reading. 
 
1 – Curiosity and the Future of Data-Driven Culture (WATCH) 
 
Since its inception, the goal of BI and analytics has been to answer big business questions with data. The next phase of BI evolution will come from the unknown—and data curiosity will be the spark that ignites the enthusiasm needed to help employees, partners, and customers put data to work in new ways.  
 
In this roundtable, BI leaders at Universal Music Group, Fuji Xerox, La-Z-Boy, and Compass Agribusiness Management talked about how to create data curiosity and inspire change while maintaining security and control. 
 
“Getting leaders together to talk about data is a key step,” said Leslie Dempsey, La-Z-Boy’s market sales manager, “because it encourages collaboration and sparks curiosity.” 
 
2 – A Guide to Upskilling Data Curiosity to the Masses (WATCH) 
 
In today’s fast-paced world, having a company-wide, data-driven culture is an absolute necessity. In this workshop, you’ll discover the benefits of a data governance framework to create confidence in the data while maximizing the most important element of all: data curiosity. 
 
Brittany Krauth, Degreed’s manager of analytics and insights, leads the way by also walking viewers through how to overcome common roadblocks when expanding the power to build analytics. 
 
“The more you know about your editors and participants and how they’re using Domo,” Brittany said, “the better you can support them, guide them, and really upscale them into confident and curious data champions.” 
 
3 – Operationalizing for Persuasion and Influence (WATCH) 
 
Insight without action is a wasted gift. But action takes persuasion and influence. Regardless of who you are trying to persuade, the proper use of data can influence their decisions. 
 
It’s time to put data to work. In this roundtable, representatives of Grant Thornton, UPMC, and ON24 discuss how to become a catalyst for meaningful change and how to teach others to do the same. 
 
“When we want to expand the use of data (within other parts of the organization), we look at who the ‘data champion’ is in those particular departments,” said April Weitzel, UPMC’s senior manager of marketing intelligence analytics. “That way, they can go teach their peers, which is much more effective than a directive that comes down from somewhere else.” 
 
4 – Collaboration and Efficiency Through Data Centralization (WATCH) 
 
By making data easily accessible across your organization, you can make way for a powerful by-product of data literacy: collaboration.  
 
In this session, you’ll learn how to break down departmental data silos while fully automating and personalizing reports for groups and individuals at all levels of the company.  
 
Hear from Amy McManus and Jon Stinnett of Hobo Bags, a family-owned handbag and leather goods company rooted in craftsmanship, along with agency partner Blue Moon Digital as they share how they created efficient processes through Domo. 
 
“Prior to implementing Domo, I was spending about half of my time supporting the development and maintenance of reports for our organization,” said John, Hobo’s IT director. “And a big part of my job is to help make the company more efficient and use our data wisely.” 
 
To learn more about modern BI for all, stay tuned for more blog posts about the principles that enable it including intelligent action.