The 10 Biggest Frustrations of Information Consumers that Every DPM Should Be Aware Of

Data product managers should know both what users want and what will frustrate them. The former helps them design useful products. The latter helps them design user-friendly products. Here are the 10 biggest frustrations that information consumers experience on a daily basis.?

1. Information Overload: With the sheer volume of content available online, it can be overwhelming to sift through and identify relevant, accurate, and valuable information. Long multi-page documents are relics of the past. DPMs should think like app designers and use functional features to deliver information as information apps where users can find what they need with just a few clicks.?
2. Misinformation and Fake News: The prevalence of unreliable sources and misleading content makes it difficult to trust the information encountered, leading to confusion and skepticism. This requires careful evaluation of your data sources as well as providing source information in the document. This is particularly important when you embed data in the app, as data is more intractable. Charts may not only misrepresent information, but they may also obfuscate hidden problems in the data points.?
3. Lack of Personalization: Generic content that doesn't cater to individual interests or needs can frustrate users who are looking for more tailored information. But personalization is expensive as no one wants to write content for one reader or user. DPMs have to rely on automation to tailor content to individuals. With automation the same document can include different sections and data for each information consumer.?
4. Inconsistent or Poor Quality: Information that is poorly presented, outdated, or lacking in-depth analysis can leave consumers dissatisfied. As one publisher told us, many people can write an article. But magazine publishers know how to present it. As a DPM, you have the responsibilities of a publisher.?
5. Fragmented Content: Having to visit multiple sources or platforms to get a complete picture can be time-consuming and frustrating. In the past, content providers used links - “read more here.” But an InfoApp gives you the opportunity to design content as magazines and incorporate all information into a single presentation.?
6. Privacy Concerns: Consumers are increasingly wary of how their data is collected and used, particularly when accessing information online you can fight this concern with freestanding InfoApps like the ones from Storied Data. These apps can be emailed and consumed even offline, alleviating the privacy fears that many consumers have.?
7. Access Barriers: Paywalls, subscriptions, or region-based restrictions can hinder access to valuable information, causing frustration. Data products reduce these frustrations as they are sold (especially subscription ones) like physical products. You buy based on the description and then can open the package. This eliminates the teasing. People have become tired of teaser pages as they see too many of them, and as psychologists would tell you too much choice and trials leads to purchasing indecision. If it is a product, market it and charge for it as a product.?
8. Slow or Clunky User Interfaces: Websites or apps that are difficult to navigate, slow to load, or not mobile-friendly can impede the user experience. This is mainly an infrastructure and internet problem. Freestanding infoapps alleviate this problem as they leverage distributed computing, i.e., each InfoApp is rendered in the browser of the user and is independent of backend servers and internet connections while still having a UI/UX as the connected apps.?
9. Difficulty in Verifying Sources: The challenge of identifying credible sources in a sea of content can make it difficult to validate information. If you want to use information that you cannot verify, be upfront with your users. There is no technology that can help you 100% with that. Hence this is a choice and responsibility of both the content creator and the DPM and has to be a matter of policy for content creators set by the DPM.
10. Excessive Ads and Pop-Ups: Intrusive advertisements and pop-ups can disrupt the user experience and make it hard to focus on the content itself. Not only does this happen frequently, but also the technologies used to serve the ads often make it worse. For example, the ads on many news sites often refresh the entire page causing flickering and content movement thus disrupting the experience. Imagine the frustration if someone constantly moves your bookmark and you have to find the last page you read. Because info apps are created with pixel-perfect layout, the position of the ad remains constant, alleviating ads frustrations.??