For Morning Consult's Economic Intelligence platform, should we emphasize adding more granular data points or improving the user interface for easier navigation and interpretation?

Introduction

The trade-off we're examining for Morning Consult's Economic Intelligence platform is whether to prioritize adding more granular data points or improving the user interface for easier navigation and interpretation. This decision is crucial for enhancing the platform's value proposition and user experience. I'll analyze this trade-off by considering user needs, business objectives, and technical feasibility, ultimately providing a recommendation based on a structured experiment and data analysis approach.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Based on the platform's focus, I'm thinking our primary users are likely financial analysts and economists. Could you confirm our key user segments and their primary use cases for the Economic Intelligence platform?

Why it matters: Helps tailor our solution to user needs and prioritize features Expected answer: Primarily financial analysts, economists, and business strategists Impact on approach: Would influence the balance between data granularity and UI simplicity

• Considering our business model, I assume we operate on a subscription basis. How does our current pricing structure align with different levels of data granularity or UI features?

Why it matters: Informs potential revenue impacts of our decision Expected answer: Tiered pricing based on data access and features Impact on approach: Might lead to a hybrid solution targeting different user tiers

• From a technical standpoint, what's our current data infrastructure's capacity for handling more granular data points? Are there any scalability concerns?

Why it matters: Determines feasibility and cost of adding more data Expected answer: Current system can handle moderate increase, but significant expansion would require infrastructure upgrades Impact on approach: Could influence timeline and resource allocation for implementation

• Regarding our product roadmap, how does this decision align with our strategic priorities for the next 12-18 months?

Why it matters: Ensures alignment with long-term product strategy Expected answer: Improving user engagement and data depth are both high priorities Impact on approach: Would help balance short-term gains with long-term product vision

• In terms of resources, what's our current team capacity for UI/UX improvements versus data integration and management?

Why it matters: Affects feasibility and timeline of implementation Expected answer: Balanced team with slight lean towards data expertise Impact on approach: Might influence which aspect we prioritize or how we phase the implementation