Expectations change how the same experience feels.
More quotesMost “research” is reassurance with a sample size. We say we want discovery, then reward the finding that makes yesterday’s decision look clever. The customer quote supporting the roadmap is “powerful evidence”. The awkward one is “an edge case”. A good month proves the strategy. A bad month requires more data. By Friday, every result has been frisked for opinions we already own.
Pratchett’s “olds” is perfect because the information still feels active. It has numbers, novelty and perhaps a coloured line going upwards. It simply leaves the believer exactly where they started.
There is a commercial reason for this cowardice. Real news creates work. It can kill a cherished feature, upset a confident forecast or suggest that the customer understands the category better than the company. Confirmation lets everyone continue after lunch.
The cure begins before the results arrive. Write down the observation that would damage the favoured explanation. Preserve the failed predictions. Ask customers where the product becomes useless, irritating or embarrassingly easy to replace. Give the strongest alternative to someone who gains no status from burying it. Familiarity still matters when communicating a challenge. People need a bridge from what they accept to what they have not considered. A bridge, however, is supposed to take them somewhere.
If research keeps returning management’s beliefs with fresher typography, cancel the research and buy a mirror. It is cheaper and more honest about the purpose.