I almost scrolled by an article about a recent innovation in laundry. GE plans to make combination washer dryers.
Yes, you read that correctly — one machine will both wash and dry your clothes.
Why are they making this change? According to GE Appliances, the typical American load sits unattended for more than two hours. This finding was based on data collected from 13 million cycles across 90,000 homes between 2020 and 2022. Remembering to switch our clothes from one machine to another presents an obstacle to getting our laundry clean by way of the dreaded friction, so it is best to do away with the step altogether.
Perhaps you aren't like me. Perhaps this combination machine made you go, "Hot damn, that's going to make doing laundry even easier! No more doing a load of wash more than once because they sat too long and ended up a little smelly…" and went about your scrolling.
My question was, "Is my washing machine watching me?"
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The man in the machine is watching me
On one hand, I commend GE for using behavioral data to deliver deeper value to the people they serve. No more remembering to switch. No more sad damp clothes.
On the other hand, I have to question the extent of their insight into our lives. I don't want the company that made my washing machine to track my laundry habits any more than I want my new sneakers to track where I go, for how long, or at what pace.1
“But they’re using that data to make better decisions!” you say. “And you get better things!”
Yeah, maybe. It also gives a lot of faceless corporations and organizations a seat in my living room, my computer, and even my body to watch my every heartbeat. Moreover, what happens with this data? What if a bad actor gets it? What if this corporation is the bad actor?
It takes precious little leap to feel naked and exposed for all to see.
But we need data...
Indeed, it’s impossible to serve your people without information2 that gives you an understanding of who they are and what they value, as well as what might prevent them from experiencing that value.
Talking to the people you serve is the best place to start. It doesn't require any fancy technology and can even illuminate knowledge we didn't know we sought.
At some point, you’ll also want behavioral information. The reason for this is twofold: First, people will often tell you what they want to be true rather than what is true. Second, a lot of people struggle to articulate what they value — sometimes they simply don't know.
Often the best way to improve the value your business exists to deliver isn't obvious because no one thought it possible. Behavioral data can offer you clues and a place to start.
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How to keep this data from getting creepy
As a value-driven business, it's worth asking when you've moved from gathering data that enables you to deliver value effectively to stalking the people you serve.3
Here are six questions you need to answer:
1. What do we collect?
Make a list. What data do you collect about the people you serve? It can be as simple as their name and their email. It can also include their exact cursor movements while using your application, their progress moving through your program, or their order history. It may also include their responses to your annual survey. Any data point about who they are, how they behave, or what they think goes on this list.
One of the best ways to be less creepy is to not collect data you don’t need. If you can’t add to your knowledge with this or that data, don’t collect it.
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2. How do we handle getting permission?
You can either require people to opt out of the access you want or give people the opportunity to opt into sharing data at the level they choose.
Technically, both approaches allow people to choose; however, the opt-out approach makes it much more difficult for the person you serve. Take technology as an example. Given the level of feature bloat, it takes real commitment to scour all the settings to ensure you’re not sharing data you don’t want to share which likely means a lot of users are sharing data unwittingly.
Some people will hand over their privacy gift-wrapped. I believe we as human beings deserve the respect of being given a conscious choice. Telling the people you serve upfront what you can collect from them, then prompting them to choose what they will share puts them in the driver’s seat.
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3. Do we offer an anonymous option?
You may find that people will share data if it isn’t connected to them. Can you provide that option? How do you ensure the data is actually anonymous?
4. What will we do with the data once we have it?
How exactly do you use the data? To inform decisions? To customize that individual’s experience? To comply with regulations? Something else? Make a list for each piece of data.
Then think about how you store it. Where does it live? How long do you keep it?
Who can access insights? Do you publish certain reports publically? Do you reveal details that might expose a user? When? Where?
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5. Will we give data to others?
Part of the reason businesses collect data is because people are willing to pay for it. Maybe you can’t make use of it, but the buyer can. Are you going to sell any of your data? If so, what pieces do you sell and to whom? What are they going to do with it? Do you even know?
Are you required to share data with anyone, like regulatory bodies or partners?
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6. Can people request to have their data deleted?
Laws exist that require you to allow people to have their data removed from your servers. Laws also exist that prevent companies from deleting certain data. What can someone ask to have deleted? How do they make that request? How do they know it's actually gone? If for some reason you can’t get rid of their data for a period of time, did you tell them that when they agreed to give it to you?
Collecting information that allows you to better deliver value makes you a smart business. Doing so in a manner that respects the people whose information you collect makes you a value-driven business.
You can design something better than creepily stalking your people.
I went to buy a new pair of sneakers for the first time in seven years. While waiting for the sales guy to bring my sizes, I stopped to read the small print on the tongue of a Nike shoe which revealed that it came with tracking technology. I bought a pair of ASICS.
You’ll notice that I said it’s impossible to serve your people without information. Information is first defined as "knowledge obtained from investigation, study, or instruction."
Data that doesn't make us any wiser isn't useful yet many companies hoard data like a dragon hoards gold even if they can’t spend it. It’s why so many dashboard companies claim to find the signal in the noise: they know this is an issue and that companies aren’t about to stop hoarding.
This says nothing about using the data you collect to manipulate people rather than serve them.