data on the shifting status //
How can we tell if we are doing a good or bad job?
It’s been easy to know in some fields. Either the building collapses or it does not. The car will either start after charging the battery, or it won’t. You can ask simple questions like how long it took, or how much it costs.
People are often not interested in jobs that require precise measurements. In many schools, people sign up more for humanities classes than engineering.
In recent years, data has been appearing in areas where it had previously been elusive. Not only the effectiveness of medical approaches but also the satisfaction of the users, the time spent on creative pursuits or the stickiness of educational approaches.
Public health is also a concern for many. We can tell the exact impact of handwashing or placebos.
What is the irony? A common reaction is to ignore or question data that appears in an area where we weren’t expecting it. It’s not because the data isn’t helpful, but simply because we aren’t used to it.
